Trump warns FEMA faces reckoning after Biden administration ‘failed to do their job’

President Donald Trump warned late Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is facing a reckoning after four years of the Biden administration, saying the emergency agency “is not doing its job.”

“For the past four years, FEMA hasn’t done their job. You know, I’ve had FEMA do a really good job. We’ve had hurricanes in Florida. We’ve had tornadoes in Alabama. But unless you have some type of leadership, otherwise it’s really going to impact FEMA and it’s going to be a big discussion very quickly because I’d rather see the states figure out their own problems,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hanney on Wednesday. In an exclusive interview, he said that this was his first interview in the White House.

Trump then turned his attention to Oklahoma, touting his ability to win all 77 counties in the state in the 2024 election and arguing that if Oklahoma is hit by a tornado, state leaders should take the lead before the hurricane arrives. Make emergency response.

“I love Oklahoma, but you know what? If they get hit by a tornado or something, let Oklahoma deal with it. … Then the federal government can help them with money. FEMA is holding everything back, And the Democrats actually used FEMA not to help North Carolina,” Trump continued.

Trump meets with Republican leaders at White House as president plans to visit North Carolina to defend executive order

FEMA came under intense national scrutiny last year when Hurricane Helene tore through North Carolina, destroying homes and businesses, killing more than 100 people and causing widespread damage to local residents. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Biden administration have faced backlash for their handling of the emergency, and Trump has accused the agency of impeding relief efforts in Republican districts.

“Democrats don’t care about North Carolina. What they’re doing with FEMA is terrible. FEMA is a whole ‘nother discussion because all it does is complicate everything,'” he said.

Trump says Newsom is ‘responsible’ for ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires

“So I’m going to stop on Friday. I’m going to stop in North Carolina, that’s the first stop, because those people have been treated very badly by Democrats. I’m going to stop there. We’re going to fix this because “We’re still suffering from the hurricanes from a few months ago,” Trump said.

Flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gritz/Getty Images)

Trump will visit North Carolina on Friday in his first overseas trip as president, where he is expected to visit and meet with residents devastated by hurricanes in September. On the same day, he will also visit California, where wildfires have hit the Los Angeles area this month.

The visit was intended to highlight what Trump said were Democratic leaders’ failures in the emergency response.

Hughes Fire spreads rapidly in Los Angeles County, California officials order evacuations

On January 11, 2025, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, the Mandeville Canyon Palisades Fire raged and a house was burned down. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)

“Then I’m going to California,” he 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 dwindling smelt and Chinook salmon populations, and not utilizing water sources in the northern part of the state, which he said would help better combat the problem. fire.

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“There’s a lot of water, both rain and mountain water, that comes down as the snow melts and a lot of water is released into the Pacific Ocean,” he said.