Trump and his allies are appropriating the suffering of Helene’s victims into their own preexisting narrative.

Vice President Kamala Harris slammed former President Trump as "extraordinarily irresponsible" on Monday for spreading misinformation about federal assistance to those impacted by Hurricane Helene. The big picture: A slew of conspiracy theories rapidly spread online in the wake of the storm — which left more than 200 people dead across six states — about aid to hard-hit communities and employees on the ground.

The vice president criticized her political rival for amplifying a false claim about the distribution of FEMA disaster funds.