Former President Donald Trump suggested on Fox News Wednesday evening that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needs changes, claiming that Democrats have made the agency ineffective.
Following Hurricane Helene’s devastation, FEMA faced criticism over resource shortages and delays in providing relief to areas like North Carolina. Speaking with Sean Hannity, Trump criticized FEMA’s performance while addressing how wildfires in Los Angeles County might affect Congress’ continuing resolution bill.
“I will say that Los Angeles has changed everything. Because a lot of money is going to be necessary for Los Angeles. A lot of people on the other side want that to happen,” Trump stated.
Hannity pointed out the significant destruction Hurricane Helene caused in North Carolina.
“Well, they don’t care about North Carolina. The Democrats don’t care about North Carolina. What they’ve done with FEMA is so bad. FEMA is a whole other discussion because all it does is complicate everything. FEMA has not done their job for the last four years,” Trump responded. “I had FEMA working really well.”
He continued: “We had hurricanes in Florida. We had Alabama, tornadoes. But unless you have certain types of leadership, it really gets in the way. FEMA is going to be a whole big discussion very shortly. Because I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems.”
The Category 4 hurricane left North Carolina in ruins in late September 2024, causing an estimated $78.7 billion in damages and 219 deaths, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. Trump argued that FEMA hindered recovery efforts and promised to visit North Carolina before traveling to California.
While expressing his preference for state-led disaster management, Trump said: “If [Oklahoma] gets hit with a tornado or something, let Oklahoma fix it, and then the federal government can help them out with the money.”
He added, “FEMA is getting in the way of everything. The Democrats actually use FEMA not to help North Carolina. It makes no sense. So I’m stopping on Friday. I’m stopping in North Carolina. First stop, because those people were treated very badly by Democrats. I’m stopping there. We’re going to get that thing straightened out. Because they’re still suffering from a hurricane from months ago. Then I’m going to go to California.”
On January 7, wildfires devastated Southern California’s coastal town of Pacific Palisades, destroying thousands of homes and forcing residents to evacuate. The fires later spread to Altadena and Pasadena, causing further destruction.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faced criticism for poor leadership and lack of preparedness. Reports highlighted resource shortages, including insufficient water supplies in reservoirs and fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades.
