Trump attributes blame to Biden upon arrival in North Carolina to advocate for recovery
However, Trump remains hesitant to establish a new disaster dollar figure.
TroibNews 
President Donald Trump met with local officials in western North Carolina on Friday to discuss the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene. During the meeting, he criticized the Biden administration for its handling of disaster aid, promising to accelerate recovery efforts and even threatening to disband the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“It doesn’t matter at this point. [former President Joe] Biden did a bad job,” Trump stated during a roundtable discussion in Fletcher. He highlighted that many residents still lack access to drinking water and have not received adequate financial compensation post-storm. “This is totally unacceptable, and I’ll be taking strong action.”
In December, Congress allocated an extra $29 billion to FEMA for ongoing relief operations. When asked how much more disaster relief he might provide for North Carolina, Trump did not provide a specific figure, only indicating that he intended to do “a lot” for the state.
Local leaders present affirmed Trump’s claim regarding the inadequacy of the recovery efforts, although the president's arguments were partly based on unverified internet speculation, suggesting that federal assistance bypassed households displaying Trump signage.
This visit marked Trump’s first trip outside Washington since his inauguration and is part of a multi-day tour that will include visits to California to assess fire damage around Los Angeles and Nevada.
By bringing attention to the struggles of North Carolinians still working to recover, Trump aims to bolster a political narrative surrounding federal aid distribution. As some Republicans have proposed conditioning disaster relief to California due to what they see as the failings of Democratic state and local officials, Trump emphasized his commitment to ensuring equitable distribution of aid across both red and blue states.
Trump reiterated his intention to reform FEMA, stating during the briefing with local officials, “has really let us down and the country.” He expressed a desire for states to take on more responsibility in disaster management but did not specify a timeline for potentially closing the agency.
Following the devastating storm in September, North Carolina also faced a wave of misinformation regarding disaster relief, including false claims about federal funds being redirected to undocumented immigrants. This disinformation has persisted, even after Trump's inauguration, with unfounded claims circulating about the president reallocating $2 million meant for undocumented immigrants to aid hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
“It doesn’t matter at this point. [former President Joe] Biden did a bad job,” Trump stated during a roundtable discussion in Fletcher. He highlighted that many residents still lack access to drinking water and have not received adequate financial compensation post-storm. “This is totally unacceptable, and I’ll be taking strong action.”
In December, Congress allocated an extra $29 billion to FEMA for ongoing relief operations. When asked how much more disaster relief he might provide for North Carolina, Trump did not provide a specific figure, only indicating that he intended to do “a lot” for the state.
Local leaders present affirmed Trump’s claim regarding the inadequacy of the recovery efforts, although the president's arguments were partly based on unverified internet speculation, suggesting that federal assistance bypassed households displaying Trump signage.
This visit marked Trump’s first trip outside Washington since his inauguration and is part of a multi-day tour that will include visits to California to assess fire damage around Los Angeles and Nevada.
By bringing attention to the struggles of North Carolinians still working to recover, Trump aims to bolster a political narrative surrounding federal aid distribution. As some Republicans have proposed conditioning disaster relief to California due to what they see as the failings of Democratic state and local officials, Trump emphasized his commitment to ensuring equitable distribution of aid across both red and blue states.
Trump reiterated his intention to reform FEMA, stating during the briefing with local officials, “has really let us down and the country.” He expressed a desire for states to take on more responsibility in disaster management but did not specify a timeline for potentially closing the agency.
Following the devastating storm in September, North Carolina also faced a wave of misinformation regarding disaster relief, including false claims about federal funds being redirected to undocumented immigrants. This disinformation has persisted, even after Trump's inauguration, with unfounded claims circulating about the president reallocating $2 million meant for undocumented immigrants to aid hurricane relief efforts in North Carolina.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
