Nicolai Haugsted
A campaign speech intended to support Republican candidates has attracted attention for Trump’s unusual comments about the weather.
Donald Trump has never been particularly shy about putting his own stamp on things, whether that involves political slogans, government institutions or the names people use to describe them.
But during a campaign appearance in North Carolina on Tuesday, the president ventured into territory where his preferred terminology has little scientific backing.
While discussing the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in 2024, Trump introduced an unusual expression that quickly attracted attention online.
Apparently, the president had found a new name for the deadly storm.
And meteorologists probably won’t be rushing to update their dictionaries.
Trump introduces the ‘water cane’
The moment came as Trump addressed supporters in North Carolina, where he was campaigning for Republican candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The president began discussing Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic flooding and widespread destruction across parts of the southeastern United States in September 2024.
But rather than simply referring to the disaster by its official name, Trump offered his own terminology.
“When you had the hurricane,” he began.
“We call it a water cane. It was the most; there’s never been a hurricane that anybody’s seen that threw out more water than that.”
The expression “water cane” is not an established meteorological term, and the president’s unusual description quickly became a talking point on social media.
Critics on X mocked the remark, with some comparing Trump’s delivery to that of a rambling relative at a family gathering.
His comments also revived memories of earlier occasions when his descriptions of hurricanes generated controversy.
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A political attack amid the storm discussion
Trump’s remarks were not solely about the weather.
The president was visiting North Carolina to support Republican candidates, including Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Whatley is running against former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper for a US Senate seat.
During his speech, Trump criticized Cooper’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
He accused the former governor of doing a “horrible job” and claimed North Carolina had been “dying” because of the response.
Those allegations were presented as political criticism rather than independently established findings about the state’s disaster management.
Helene caused extensive destruction across western North Carolina, where severe flooding damaged roads, homes and infrastructure.
Recovery efforts have remained a significant issue for affected communities.
The hurricane’s aftermath has consequently become part of the political debate surrounding the state’s Senate race.
Trump’s hurricane remarks have made headlines before
The latest controversy follows several previous incidents involving Trump’s public comments and actions during major storms.
During his first presidency, he visited Puerto Rico in 2017 following Hurricane Maria, which had devastated the island.
His decision to toss rolls of paper towels into a crowd during a relief visit attracted widespread criticism.
The following year, Hurricane Florence prompted another memorable description.
Trump called it “one of the wettest we’ve ever seen from the standpoint of water.”
His phrasing was widely mocked, although the hurricane did produce extraordinary rainfall and severe flooding.
Then, in 2019, Trump became involved in a controversy over Hurricane Dorian after displaying an official forecast map that had apparently been altered with a marker.
The modification extended the projected storm path toward Alabama, supporting an earlier claim by the president that the state could be affected.
The episode generated questions about the use of official weather information and became known as the Sharpiegate controversy.
He also wants major changes to disaster relief
Beyond his unusual descriptions of hurricanes, Trump has advocated significant changes to how the federal government responds to natural disasters.
In 2025, he discussed plans to begin “phasing out” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA.
The agency plays a central role in coordinating federal assistance following hurricanes, floods and other major emergencies.
Trump criticized its cost and performance while discussing the response to Helene.
“Very, very expensive and it doesn’t get the job done,” he said.
He also argued that state and local governments should “play a more active and significant role” in preparing for and responding to disasters.
Such a shift would place greater responsibility on individual states, although questions remain about how they would handle major emergencies without the same level of federal support.
