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President Donald Trump warned late Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will face a reckoning after four years under the Biden administration, arguing that the emergency agency “has not done its work”.
“FEMA hasn’t done its job for the last four years. You know, I had FEMA working really well. We had hurricanes in Florida. We had tornadoes in Alabama. But unless you have certain types of leadership, it’s really, come into the And FEMA is going to be a big discussion very soon, because I’d rather the states deal with their own problems,” Trump said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Sean. Hannity, his first White House interview since its inauguration.
Trump then turned his attention to the state of Oklahoma, claiming he won all 77 of the state’s counties in the 2024 election and arguing that if the Sooner State is hit by a tornado, state leaders should to take the lead in emergency response before the federal government steps in to get additional help.
“I love Oklahoma, but you know what? If they get hit with a tornado or something, let Oklahoma fix it… And then the federal government can help them with the money. FEMA gets in the way of everything, and the En in reality, Democrats are using FEMA to not help North Carolina,” Trump continued.
TRUMP, GOP LEADERS MEET AT WHITE HOUSE AS PRESIDENT PLANNS NC VISIT, DEFENDS EXECUTIVE ORDERS
President Donald Trump sits down for an interview with Fox News. (Fox News/Hannity)
FEMA came under the national microscope last year when Hurricane Helene tore through North Carolina, devastating residents as it wiped out homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people. FEMA and the Biden administration faced strong backlash over their handling of the emergency, while Trump accused the agency of obstructing relief efforts in Republican areas.
“The Democrats you don’t care about North Carolina. What they have done to FEMA is very bad. FEMA is another discussion, because all it does is complicate everything,” he said.
TRUMP SAYS NEWSOM TO BE ‘BLAMED’ FOR ‘APOCALYPTIC’ FIRES
“So I’m going to stop on Friday. I’m going to stop in North Carolina, first stop, because the Democrats treated these people so badly. And I’m going to stop there. We’re going to fix this thing because they’re still dealing with a months-old hurricane.” , Trump said.
Flooding from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
Trump will visit North Carolina on Friday, his first trip as president, where he is expected to tour and meet with residents who were devastated by the hurricane in September. He will also visit California on the same day, where wildfires have ravaged the Los Angeles area this month.
The trip is meant to highlight what Trump has described as emergency response failures at the hands of Democratic leaders.
FAST-MOVING HUGHES FIRE BREAKS OUT IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY AS CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS ASK EVACUATIONS
A house burns as the Palisades Fire spreads into Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles, California, USA, on January 11, 2025. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
“And then I go to, then I am go to californiahe said, before criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of wildfire prevention and response. Trump has long criticized the Democratic governor for prioritizing environmental policies, such as protecting chinook salmon stocks and reduction of the smell, and not taking advantage of the water sources in the northern part of the state, which, according to him, would allow a better response to the fire.
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“There’s massive amounts of water, rainwater and mountain water, that comes in with the snow, comes down, as it melts, there’s so much water that they’re releasing into the Pacific Ocean,” he said.
