Disaster relief funding is creeping into Trump’s midterm rhetoric. Critics say it has no place there

President Donald Trump has increasingly incorporated emergency disaster relief funding into his campaign rhetoric during the final sprint to the midterm elections. As a major hurricane threatens the U.S. Gulf Coast, Trump has approved disaster declarations in consequential states and coupled political endorsements with federal funding announcements.

The integration of disaster relief into political messaging has drawn criticism from opponents who argue that emergency funding has no place in campaign rhetoric.