David Axelrod was condemned for linking “Killer Storms” to Trump’s turnout

Former Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod suggested on his podcast that severe storms in North Carolina could hurt former President Donald Trump's turnout in the November election.

Axelrod's comments To Hacks on tap have intensified debates about the politicization of natural disasters, particularly during the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

The Democratic analyst speculated about the electoral fallout from the “killing storms” in western North Carolina. He contrasted Asheville's “upscale” and “liberal” voters, who he believed would find ways to cast their ballots, with Trump supporters in more rural, storm-affected areas.

“I'm not sure a bunch of these people whose homes and lives have been destroyed elsewhere in western North Carolina, in the mountains there, are going to be easily won over to the Trump campaign,” Axelrod said.

His comments drew criticism from conservative figures. Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of The Federalistsuggested on “

Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce accused Axelrod of alienating rural Trump voters and wrote mountains of NC just lost everything, right? Was he about to unleash a Kamala cackle?

In response to the October 5 backlash on X, Axelrod shifted the focus to Trump's claims about disaster relief.

“It is remarkable the extent to which Trump can brazenly sell outright lies despite all evidence to the contrary. Most recently: the hurricane-ravaged states of GA and NC (battleground states, for those not participating) were stripped of bailout money because immigrants took everything. None of this was even remotely true.

Newsweek has emailed Axelrod and the Trump campaign seeking comment.

The situation is unfolding at a time when North Carolina is emerging as a crucial battleground state. Recent polls suggest a tight race between Trump and Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.

A Washington Post A poll released Oct. 1 showed Trump with a narrow two-point lead over Harris. As of October 6, Trump's FiveThirtyEight polling average in the state leads Trump by just 0.8 percentage points (48.1 percent to 47.3 percent).

North Carolina's importance on the electoral map is significant. If Trump secures the state with Pennsylvania and Georgia, he could reach the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the election, barring any surprises elsewhere.

However, the electoral impact of Hurricane Helene remains a concern. The Category 4 storm caused widespread destruction across southeastern states, including North Carolina. Officials are reporting at least 225 deaths in several states, with about 75 active missing person cases in Buncombe County, North Carolina alone as of Friday.

The timing of the storm is particularly critical because early voting had already begun in North Carolina. Concerns remain about potential impacts to mail-in voting and polling place availability, which could impact voter turnout and polling place access.

Meanwhile, Trump has made unsubstantiated claims about the Biden administration's disaster response, alleging that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) diverted disaster relief funds to illegal migrants.

Trump also falsely claimed that Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, with whom he held a joint news conference about disaster relief efforts, was unable to contact Biden by phone about federal disaster relief.

These claims have been debunked by fact-checkers and criticized by both local and national media.

The joint editorial team of North Carolina's two largest newspapers, The Charlotte Observer And The News & Observer published an editorial titled “Shame on Donald Trump for compounding the Helene tragedy in North Carolina with political lies” and rebuked the former president for spreading misinformation.