U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris instructed the National Guard to fill a plane with supplies for hurricane victims so she could use it for a photo op, and the plane’s supplies were never delivered to victims.
On Oct. 10, 2024, during an episode of the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, guests Jonathan Howard and Charlie Keebaugh, members of a nonprofit organization called Aerial Recovery, said the U.S. government’s response to Hurricane Helene, which damaged a large area across western North Carolina, was lackluster — and for a specific reason:
“I had a squadron commander from North Carolina reach out to me. They had to load a C-17 full of supplies just to take a photo-op for Kamala, and they never sent the bird,” Howard said.
The allegation quickly spread. Snopes found that Harris did travel to North Carolina in the days before the podcast’s release, something that appeared to support the claim.
However, the allegation was false — Shawn Ryan published a video on on X acknowledging that the rumor was not true.
According to Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich, there was a mechanical mishap. The National Guard loaded the plane with the expectation it would deliver supplies to hurricane victims. However, after Harris’ press event in front of the plane, it was discovered to have a mechanical issue that would prevent it from delivering the supplies. Heinrich said the plane was loaded onto a different plane and the supplies made their way to the victims the following day.
Sources
Aerial Recovery Team | Aerial Recovery. 12 Oct. 2022, https://aerialrecovery.org/team/.
Chain, Brittany. “National Guard Defends Kamala Harris in Hurricane Helene ‘stunt’ Row.” Mail Online, 11 Oct. 2024, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13950197/kamala-harris-hurricane-helene-stunt-caring.html.
Flightradar24. “Live Flight Tracker – Real-Time Flight Tracker Map.” Flightradar24, https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/01-0197. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.
“Harris Helps Pack Aid Boxes for North Carolina Hurricane Victims Ahead of Sunday Campaign Push.” AP News, 12 Oct. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/harris-north-carolina-trump-hurricane-campaign-8961abd7d02bb95c6c6ba81a59ce9049.
“—.” AP News, 12 Oct. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/harris-north-carolina-trump-hurricane-campaign-8961abd7d02bb95c6c6ba81a59ce9049.
“Hurricane Rescuer Says NC Nat’l Guard Member Told Him Kamala Staged Photo-Op Near Supply Plane That Was Never Sent.” MRCTV, https://www.mrctv.org/blog/nick-kangadis/hurricane-rescuer-says-nc-natl-guard-member-told-him-kamala-staged-photo-op-near. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.
National Guard Puts Down Viral Rumors About Kamala Harris Posing With Hurricane Aid. https://dailycaller.com/2024/10/11/north-carolina-national-guard-kamala-harris-hurricane-aid-shawn-ryan/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.