Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP / Getty Images
President Donald Trump visited Asheville, North Carolina, on Friday (January 24) to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. During his visit, Trump criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), suggesting that states should handle their own disaster responses. He stated, "FEMA has really let us down and the country," and mentioned plans to overhaul or eliminate the agency.
"I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA, I think, frankly, FEMA is not good," Trump said.
Trump proposed that states take the lead in disaster response and receive federal reimbursement for a percentage of their costs.
Trump expressed his commitment to providing financial aid for North Carolina's recovery and criticized the Biden administration's handling of aid distribution, claiming that North Carolina was treated unfairly.
During his visit, Trump met with families affected by the hurricane in Swannanoa, North Carolina, and received a briefing on recovery efforts in Fletcher. The president emphasized his intention to support the people of North Carolina, stating, "We want to take care of the people of North Carolina."
After wrapping up his trip to North Carolina, Trump will travel to California to tour wildfire damage in Los Angeles.