Kamala slammed over staged hurricane recovery photo with unplugged headphones, ‘blank’ paper

In her post, Harris explains that she was "just briefed" by FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell "on the latest developments about the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene. We also discussed our Administration's continued actions to support emergency response and recovery," she wrote. Harris said that she spoke with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper "about the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts in North Carolina."

North Carolina was brutally battered by Hurricane Helene, which slammed into Florida's Big Bend before hitting Georgia, the Carolinas, and eastern Tennessee. In and around Asheville, NC, towns were flooded to the point of decimation, debris covers many roadways, and bridges were washed away. Drinking water is in short supply and millions are without power. With little ways to access the area, conditions and the status of many residents remains unknown. Over 1,000 are missing and the death toll is expected to continue to rise.

"Our Administration will continue to stay in constant contact with state and local officials to ensure communities have the support and resources they need," Harris said. "Doug and my thoughts are with all those who lost loved ones and those whose homes, businesses, and communities were damaged or destroyed during this disaster."

Harris has been criticized for engaging in photo ops signifying work without actually doing the work. Over the weekend, she went to the Arizona border and met with Border Control, but the event was more about the photos than the meeting—at least according to Border Control.

Libs of TikTok pointed out that before Harris was simply "blank paper" and that her headphones were "not plugged in," concluding "everything about Kamala is fake."

"The paper is blank and the wired headphones aren’t even plugged into her phone," Greg Price said. "If you’re going to pretend you’re not AWOL as NC is under water, at least put some effort into it."

Stephen Miller noted, "She's wearing an ear phone that is not attached to phone on the desk."

The Federalist's Sean Davis noted aptly that "The paper is blank, the headphones aren’t even plugged in, this was staged several days after the hurricane, and instead of actually doing anything to help anyone, she’s tweeting."

The Trump campaign had fun with the photo as well, asking "How are you making calls when your headphones aren't even plugged into your phone?"

When President Joe Biden delivered remarks on the hurricane on Monday morning, he said it was a "historic, history-making storm" that spanned 10 states and "devastated" communities. "We're keeping them all in our prayers," he said. He assured reporters that he would visit the areas when it was useful to do so and to "get all the help needed" to the affected areas.

FEMA head Criswell, Biden said, "is on the ground now" and will be staying in Asheville, NC. He said that "every available resource" would be provided and that "over 3,600 personnel" have been deployed. An emergency declaration was issued as well across several states.

When asked why he wasn't in Washington, DC, dealing with the issues the storm had caused, Biden said "I was commanding. I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday, and the day before as well. I command. It's called a telephone."