Misleading: State House Speaker says White House didn't call him after Helene hit North Carolina

North Carolina Rep. Tim Moore says former President Donald Trump has been more responsive than President Joe Biden’s administration since Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina.

Helene on Sept. 27 caused record-setting flooding in western North Carolina, killing more than 100 people and displacing hundreds more. Since then, Trump, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have each visited the region to survey the damage.

During Trump’s Oct. 21 visit to Asheville, he invited Moore to the mic to speak about his experience.

"I’ve not gotten a single call from the White House, but this man and his team have been in touch with us from Day 1," said Moore, the speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives. His comments were shared on social media by The Blaze, a conservative media site with more than 1 million followers.

PolitiFact has fact-checked several claims about lawmakers involved in Helene relief efforts — including Moore. When we looked into Moore’s statement about his communication with the Biden administration, we found the White House tried contacting Moore at least three times by phone or email and spoke with his staff, but Moore never personally responded.

On Sept. 30 and Oct. 4, a White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs staff member emailed Moore’s legislative email account, White House records show.

"Hi Speaker Moore and team, Hope you are doing well! … I’m emailing to check in on you and your constituents following Hurricane Helene," the White House staffer said Sept. 30, the third day after the storm hit. "If you hear from any members of your caucus who are looking for federal resources, please don’t hesitate to send along my contact information. If there is ever anything I can do for you, please let me know."

The White House staffer’s Oct. 4 email to Moore referred to a phone call on Oct. 2, the White House said. 

"Thanks for chatting on the phone earlier this week! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to support you all. I’m available by phone or email," the Oct. 4 email said.

In an Oct. 24 interview with PolitiFact, Moore said he was unaware that the White House staffer had called and emailed his office. That’s because he was traveling through western North Carolina surveying damage and because the White House staff member spoke with a member of Moore’s staff — not Moore himself — a detail the White House confirmed.

"I didn't realize I had gotten it," Moore said during an interview at the state legislative building. "It came to our email and our scheduler had a brief conversation with whoever that staffer was."

Moore also declined to provide evidence for his claim that Trump had been in contact "from Day 1" of the storm, nor did he share any other details about the communication. The Trump campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment.

In an interview, Moore said the point of his comments was not about who called him or when. The point, he said, was to praise Trump and members of his team for keeping regular contact with him after Helene hit — and to express his frustration with what he described as a slow government response to storm victims who still needed help on the ground.

Moore said Trump, former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley each called him in the days after Helene hit. Gabbard visited Moore’s district and brought generators, chainsaws and other supplies, he said.

Meanwhile, Moore said he was upset to learn from victims that their needs weren’t being met.

"There has been a lot of extra calls that we've had to make that we shouldn't have had to make," Moore said. "As we were there (in the disaster area), I would get grabbed by somebody saying, ‘We've not heard from anybody on this’ and wanting to know an answer."

Featured Fact-check

X posts

stated on November 12, 2024 in a social media post

“Red Cross is set to close shelters across North Carolina on Nov. 15. Families staying in these shelters are being told: ‘If you don’t have a safe place to take your children, you won’t be leaving with them.’”

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office issued an update on response and recovery efforts Oct. 21, the same day Moore made his comments criticizing the White House response. 

In a media release, Cooper’s office said crews had restored electricity to all but 5,000 customers in the disaster area. It said most of the storm-affected cellphone coverage had been restored, and that road crews had opened 789 of the 1,200 roads that had been closed as a result of the storm.

Although public schools in 28 storm-affected districts had reopened, seven remained closed. Because road access remained limited, Cooper’s office said the state and federal governments worked with volunteers and nonprofit groups to deliver water, food and medicine to some areas.

By Oct. 21, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had paid $129 million to people affected by Helene. More than 207,000 people had registered for individual financial assistance, and people had filed more than 5,100 registrations for Small Business Administration loans.

Cooper’s office added that recovery in the more mountainous areas would "require a unique, united and sustained effort that focuses on people who’ve lost everything while leaving politics at the door."

Moore said that although the White House deserves scrutiny for its funding priorities, he’s tried to avoid bringing politics into the disaster response. Moore said he also wants to give credit where it’s due.

"The folks on the ground from FEMA who are working? They are hardworking people who are trying to help folks here," Moore said.

Moore said, "I’ve not gotten a single call from the White House."

White House records showed a Biden administration staffer called Moore’s office at least once and emailed Moore twice, writing, "Please let me know if there is anything I can do to support you all." A White House staff member spoke with one of Moore’s staffers, not directly with Moore. Moore said he had been unaware of the communication.

The statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression of the White House outreach. We rate it Mostly False.