Tampa Bay, Florida hit by Category 3 storm; Tornadoes in St. Lucie cause “multiple fatalities”

President Joe Biden has accused Donald Trump of leading an “onslaught of lies” that authorities warn is hampering hurricane recovery efforts and putting lives at risk.

As Hurricane Milton barreled toward Florida's west coast on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT), the president used a briefing by federal officials to rebuke the misinformation being spread about Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, declaring: “This has to stop.”

“Former President Trump led the onslaught of lies,” he said.

“Allegations have been made that property would be confiscated – that is simply not true.

“They say the people affected by these storms received $750 in cash and no more. That's simply not true.

“They say the money needed for this crisis is being redirected to migrants. What a ridiculous statement; it's not true.

“Now the claims are getting even more bizarre. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a congresswoman in Georgia, now says the federal government literally controls the weather.

“We control the weather? It's beyond ridiculous. It has to stop.”

Biden's comments came after Trump and others baselessly claimed in the wake of Hurricane Helene that the administration intentionally withheld aid from Republican hurricane victims while the Federal Emergency Management Agency diverted disaster relief funds to migrants.

Taylor Greene, one of Trump's most loyal supporters in the US Congress, also shared a conspiracy theory with her 1.2 million followers on X that the government was somehow responsible for the hurricane.

“Yes, they can control the weather. “It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done,” she wrote in a post that was widely condemned.