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Vice President Kamala Harris faced a difficult dilemma this past week - campaigning for the presidency or helping lead the response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. She opted to do both. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben was traveling with the vice president and tells us how it went.
DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN, BYLINE: On Wednesday morning, less than 12 hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, Kamala Harris called into the Weather Channel.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: This is going to be different, so please listen to your local officials and understand the seriousness of this and your ability to, frankly, save your life.
KURTZLEBEN: It's a little unusual to see Harris this out front on disasters. When asked about Republican accusations that she's politicizing the storm, she was firm.
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HARRIS: I welcome every and anyone to work with me and for us to be able to work together. I don't care who you voted for in the last election or who you're voting for in the next election.
KURTZLEBEN: This interview was emblematic of the balance she has attempted to strike between campaigning and responding to a natural disaster, each of which could be, on their own, a full-time job. After all, she did that Weather Channel appearance not from Washington but from New York, where she had done both campaign interviews and hurricane briefings. Then she was off to Nevada and Arizona.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Latinos ask. Kamala Harris responds.
KURTZLEBEN: At a Las Vegas town hall hosted by Univision, the first question was from a man from Tampa.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
KURTZLEBEN: He said he had heard rumors that the White House didn't do enough for Hurricane Helene victims and wondered if they'd respond differently to Milton. Harris first addressed those rumors.
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HARRIS: People are playing political games, suggesting that resources and support is only going to certain people based on a political agenda, and this is just not accurate.
KURTZLEBEN: However, she did not specifically name President Trump as a person spreading that lie. If Harris was trying to keep the politicking out of the hurricane response, the hurricane was, by virtue of her job, entering into the politicking.
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HARRIS: Arizona.
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KURTZLEBEN: By Thursday night, Harris was in a packed arena outside of Phoenix. Before her usual stump speech, she addressed the disaster.
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HARRIS: I have spoken with state local officials, both Republican and Democrat, to let them know we will be with you every step of the way as you recover and rebuild.
KURTZLEBEN: The next morning, she teleconferenced into a White House briefing, where she spoke to the hurricane's victims.
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HARRIS: We see your incredible strength and resilience, and we are working around the clock to keep you safe.
KURTZLEBEN: President Biden's been running point, but during that briefing, he equipped that Harris is the boss in the hurricane response. And her visible role in that response is ongoing. Last night, Harris was doing hurricane-related duties again, helping volunteers in North Carolina prepare supplies. And today, she's back on the trail in Greenville. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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