Hurricane Helene has claimed over 215 deaths on its path across the Southeast, making it the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005. Damage is still being evaluated across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, and the aftermath and reconstruction efforts are already becoming a topic of political contention.
On Tuesday, former president Donald Trump said that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp had been unable to reach President Joe Biden for hurricane assistance, despite the fact that Kemp himself confirmed earlier in the day that he had spoken to the Biden, and that federal efforts to restore Georgia were underway.
On Thursday, Republican senator Marjorie Taylor Greene went one step further by seemingly implying on her X account that Democrats controlled the weather for political gain. "Yes they can control the weather," said Taylor Greene. "It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done."
It wasn't immediately clear who the congresswoman meant by "they", as some believed it was aimed at Jewish people, based on previous comments Taylor Greene has made about the community. However, as Rolling Stone reports, it seems more likely she was referring to Democrats as she had previously shared another post on Thursday with a map of the states impacted by Helene with an overlay of their political leanings by county:
As expected, social media was abuzz, as many tried to make sense of Taylor Greene's bizarre take. Brian Schatz, senator from Hawaii, was one of the first ones to respond to the post by implicitly saying that Democrats must regain control of the House to keep people like Greene Taylor away from positions of power in the Lower House:
Congressman Brendan Boyle was another active politician who responded to the comment, pointing out in disbelief that Taylor Greene is a congresswoman despite her frequent inflammatory comments:
Former United States Representative Denver Riggleman, said of Taylor Greene's comments:
"This ignorance, this lunacy, is why we have a government teetering and lurching. Her stupidity is a disease. She's not alone either. Who do we blame? Well, folks.. we blame disinfo ecosystems— like here on X and we blame... voters. Mass idiocy. Stupid votes count."
BBC journalist, Shayan Sardarizadeh, summed it best by trying to make sense of Taylor Greene's insinuations:
Below are other reactions to Taylor Greene's comments:
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