Trump Demands California Voter ID Law, Eyes Ending FEMA

President Donald Trump on Friday said he wants California to implement voter ID laws before he would approve federal funds to help it recover from massive wildfires there and said he might eliminate the federal emergency response agency.

"I want to see two things in Los Angeles: Voter ID so that the people have a chance to vote. And I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state. Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California ever has ever seen,"  Trump said during a visit to North Carolina.

Trump has showered Gov. Gavin Newsom and California leaders with disdain for water policies that he claimed worsened the recent blazes. He said he would "take a look at a fire that could have been put out if they let the water flow, but they didn’t let the water flow."

In California, Trump plans to tour the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where rows of homes burned to the ground. He’s expected to receive a briefing on the fires, which are ongoing, with thousands of people under evacuation orders.

Trump also said during his North Carolina visit that he is considering "getting rid of FEMA," the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The comment, made during a briefing on the monthslong recovery from Hurricane Helene, was the latest signal of how Trump is planning sweeping changes to the federal government’s role in managing catastrophes.

“FEMA has been a very big disappointment," the Republican president said. “It’s very bureaucratic. And it’s very slow. Other than that, we’re very happy with them.”

Trump said he was looking at signing an executive order on FEMA.

“I’d like to see the states take care of disasters," he said after landing in the Asheville area. “Let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen.”

Trump said that would be quicker than sending in FEMA.

“FEMA just hasn’t done the job," the president said. "We’re looking at the whole concept of FEMA.”

The agency helps respond to disasters when local leaders request a presidential emergency declaration, a signal that the damage is beyond the state's ability to handle on its own. FEMA can reimburse governments for recovery efforts such as debris removal, and it gives stopgap financial assistance to individual residents. Some of Trump's conservative allies have proposed reducing how much money the agency should provide.

Trump has criticized former President Joe Biden for his administration's response to Hurricane Helene. As he left the White House on Friday morning, he told reporters that “it’s been a horrible thing the way that’s been allowed to fester” since the storm hit in September, and "we're going to get it fixed up.”

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’s Purse, a humanitarian organization headed by evangelical leader Franklin Graham.