WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 President Donald Trump headed to hurricane-battered North Carolina and wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles on Friday, using the first trip of his second administration to tour areas where politics have clouded the response to deadly disasters.
The Republican president former President for his administration's response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. As he left the White House, he told reporters that 鈥渋t鈥檚 been a horrible thing the way that鈥檚 been allowed to fester鈥 since the storm hit in September, and "we're going to get it fixed up.鈥
Trump has also showered California leaders with disdain for water policies that worsened the recent blazes. He said he would 鈥渢ake a look at a fire that could have been put out if they let the water flow, but they didn鈥檛 let the water flow.鈥
In North Carolina, Trump will receive a briefing on recovery efforts and then travel to a small town outside Asheville to meet with residents who have been helped by Samaritan鈥檚 Purse, a humanitarian organization headed by evangelical leader Franklin Graham.
Once in California, Trump plans to tour the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where rows and rows of homes He's expected to receive a briefing on the fires, , with thousands of people under evacuation orders.
Members of Congress will also be at the briefing, and any meeting Trump has suggested using federal disaster assistance as a bargaining chip during unrelated legislative negotiations over government borrowing, or as leverage to persuade California to change its water policies.
鈥淧laying politics with people鈥檚 livelihoods is unacceptable and a slap in the face to the Southern California wildfire victims and to our brave first responders,鈥 said Rep. Young Kim, a Republican from Orange County, south of Los Angeles, in a recent statement.
The trip comes as Trump the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Some of his conservative allies have proposed reducing how much the agency reimburses states for handling floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and other calamities.
Trump has a history of injecting politics and falsehoods into disaster response. During his first term, he talked about limiting help for Democratic states that didn't support him, according to former administration officials. While running for president last year, that Democrats were 鈥済oing out of their way to not help people in Republican areas鈥 of the battleground state of North Carolina.
He's also been focused on , specifically fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,鈥 Trump said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News Channel鈥檚 Sean Hannity.
The president also suggested shifting more responsibility to individual states for managing disasters.
鈥淚鈥檇 rather see the states take care of their own problems,鈥 he told Hannity, adding that 鈥淔EMA is getting in the way of everything.鈥
Michael Coen, who served as chief of staff at FEMA during the Biden administration, said Trump was 鈥渕isinformed鈥 about an agency that provides critical help to states when they're overwhelmed by catastrophe.
In addition, Coen criticized the idea of attaching strings to assistance.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to pick winners and losers on which communities are going to be supported by the federal government," he said. "I think the American people expect the federal government will be there for them on their worst day, no matter where they live.鈥
The last time Trump was president, he visited numerous disaster zones, including the aftermaths of hurricanes and tornadoes. He sometimes sparked criticism, like when he to survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a disaster survivor, no matter who you voted for, it鈥檚 always good when the president comes to town,鈥 said Pete Gaynor, who headed FEMA during the first Trump administration between 2019 and 2021. 鈥淵ou can see him and hopefully talk to him about what you need in your community.鈥
Laurie Carpenter, a 62-year-old retiree in Newland, North Carolina, said she's looking forward to Trump's visit because she's been disappointed by the federal response. She said there's still debris and trash strewn around her part of the state months after Hurricane Helene.
鈥淚f anybody鈥檚 going to do something about it, I think he will,鈥 Carpenter said.
Trump tapped Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL with limited experience managing natural disasters, as FEMA鈥檚 acting director. He also said individual states should be in charge of directing response to natural disasters rather than FEMA, and that the federal government should only step in subsequently to provide funding.
Biden vowed before leaving office that the federal government would cover all the costs of responding to the wildfires around Los Angeles, which could end up being the . However, that promise won't be kept unless Congress comes up with more funding.
Friday's trip could prompt some uncomfortable conversations about climate change, which Trump has played down and denied. Both Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires were exacerbated by global warming.
In Helene鈥檚 case, a study by international climate scientists at World Weather Attribution found that climate change In California, the state suffered 鈥 its traditional wet season 鈥 which made the area around Los Angeles more vulnerable to blazes.
鈥淭his is just breaking our comfort zone of what is supposed to be normal,鈥 said University of Oregon researcher Amanda Stasiewicz.
After visiting North Carolina and California, Trump plans to hold a rally Saturday in Las Vegas. Advisers said he will offer details on keeping a campaign promise to exclude tips from federal taxes, while reveling in in an Election Day upset.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to go to Nevada to thank them,鈥 Trump said. He was the first Republican candidate to win the state since 2004, when George W. Bush beat John Kerry.
Las Vegas鈥 24-hour economy is fueled by the hospitality and service industries, where everyone from restaurant waiters to valet parkers to hotel maids relies on gratuities. However, exempting them from taxes would likely be difficult to implement and require to remain permanent. ___ Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Seth Borenstein and Makiya Seminera contributed to this report.
