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."
Yes they can control the weather.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) October 4, 2024
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:
This is a map of hurricane affected areas with an overlay of electoral map by political party shows how hurricane devastation could affect the election. pic.twitter.com/XIbNZjuC1q
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) October 3, 2024
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:
Hakeem Jeffries should be the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Enjoy your weekend campaigning everybody. https://t.co/5NqVhCIy27
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) October 4, 2024
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:
This is a member of the Congress of the United States. For real. No joke. https://t.co/IG5Tq7r7CK
— US Rep Brendan Boyle (@RepBrendanBoyle) October 4, 2024
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:
If I understand this correctly, Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene is suggesting the Democrats deliberately started Hurricane Helene to destroy Republican voting areas and impact the outcome of the election.
— Shayan Sardarizadeh (@Shayan86) October 4, 2024
If that's what she's implying, that's conspiratorial thinking on a new level. pic.twitter.com/RbyVwaMznM
Below are other reactions to Taylor Greene's comments:
We know you’re the dumbest member of Congress. You don't have to remind us of it every day.
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 4, 2024
“They” should be Time’s next Person of the Year given how much Republicans claim “they” have been up to lately. There is seemingly nothing “they” aren’t responsible for.
— Mark Raymond 🇺🇸🥥🌴 (@markraymond) October 4, 2024
Is the weather fixer in the room with us right now?
— Billie Nelson (@Mamabenergy2) October 4, 2024
Literally never had tornadoes until Obama was President
— Randy‼️ (@RandyHeyyyy) October 4, 2024
