President Donald Trump He warned late Wednesday that FEMA was set to face a reckoning after four years under the Biden administration, arguing that the emergency agency “did not do its job.”
“FEMA has not done its job over the last four years. You know, FEMA has done a really good job. We had hurricanes in Florida. We had hurricanes in Alabama. But unless you have “Certain types of leadership, it really gets into chaos.” “FEMA is going to be a whole big discussion very soon, because I would rather see the states take care of their own problems,” Trump said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, his first in the White House. Interviewed him since his inauguration.
Trump then turned his attention to Oklahoma, noting that he won all 77 of the state's counties in the 2024 election, and argued that if the Sooner State is hit by a hurricane, state leaders should take the lead on emergency response before the election. The federal government is stepping in for additional help.
“I love Oklahoma, but you know what? If they get a hurricane or something, let Oklahoma fix it. And then the federal government can help them with money. FEMA gets in the way of everything, and the federal government gets in the way of everything,” Trump continued. : “Democrats are actually using FEMA not to help North Carolina.”
President Donald Trump sits for an interview with Fox News. (Fox News/Hannity)
FEMA came under the nation's microscope last year when Hurricane Helen struck North Carolina, devastating residents as it destroyed homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Biden administration faced backlash over its handling of the emergency, while Trump accused the agency of obstructing relief efforts in Republican areas.
“Democrats I don't care about North Carolina. What they did with FEMA is very bad. FEMA is not a complete debate, he said, because all it does is complicate everything.
Trump says Newsom is 'to blame' for 'horrific' wildfires
“So I'm going to stop on Friday. I'm going to stop in North Carolina, my first stop, because these people were treated so badly by the Democrats. And I'm going to stop there. We're going to settle this because they've been in a hurricane for months,” Trump said.
Floodwaters from Hurricane Helen in western North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
Trump is scheduled to visit North Carolina on Friday, his first trip as president, where he is expected to tour and meet residents devastated by the hurricane in September. He will also visit California on the same day, where wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area this month.
The trip is set to highlight what Trump described as failures of the emergency response at the hands of Democratic leaders.
A house burns as the Palisades Fire rages through Mandeville Canyon, in Los Angeles, California, United States, January 11, 2025. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
“And then I'll do it Going to 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 dwindling smelt and Chinook salmon populations, and not taking advantage of water sources in the Upstate. A condition he said would allow for better fire response.
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He added: “There are huge amounts of water, rainwater and mountain water, that comes with the snow, and falls as it melts, and there is a lot of water that they release into the Pacific Ocean.”
