This is an adapted excerpt from the Oct. 10 episode of “All In with Chris Hayes.”
On Thursday, former President Barack Obama took aim at Donald Trump over his hurricane disinformation. During a speech in Pittsburgh, Obama called Trump “a guy who will just lie … to score political points.”
“The idea of intentionally trying to deceive people in their most desperate and vulnerable moments,” the former president continued. “My question is, when did that become OK? I’m not looking for applause right now. I want to ask Republicans out there, people who are conservative who didn’t vote for me — I have friends who disagree with me on every issue — when did that become OK?”
It is shocking to see just how far and wide the lies surrounding Hurricanes Helene and Milton have penetrated. But it becomes slightly less shocking when you consider how right-wing forces — and one politician in particular — have spent the better part of a decade eroding the trust relationships Americans share with their elected officials, civil servants, scientists and even with one another.
It’s exactly what we faced in Trump’s first term during the Covid-19 pandemic. He flailed wildly for an angle to the pandemic that would make him look better — that was always the north star, day in and day out. Trump downplayed the dangers of the disease and pushed quack lies about medical cures. He suggested scientists and public officials wanted to take your freedom and actively undermined confidence in life-saving vaccines. In the end, thousands of Americans died who didn’t have to, victims of lies pushed by Trump and many of his supporters.
And now that dynamic is here again, in the wake of Helene and Milton. Trump is pushing dangerous lies that he thinks will get him back into the Oval Office.
That’s making life hard for the Republicans who support Trump but also want to save their constituents’ lives.
Just look at the mental gymnastics being performed by Rep. Ana Paulina Luna, a far-right Republican whose district was slammed by both Helene and Milton. On Thursday, she tried to reassure residents the government was on their side.
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