President Donald Trump will visit disaster-affected areas in western North Carolina and Los Angeles on Friday to assess recovery efforts.
Trump's first trip since reassuming the presidency on Monday could provide an opportunity to assure residents that the federal government will help those whose lives have been upended by hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters.
Trump has suggested he may use the trip to highlight his concerns about recovery efforts under previous administrations
He has stated that his Democrat predecessor Joe Biden did not do enough to help western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene, which devastated the region in September, an accusation the Biden administration has rejected as misinformation.
On a campaign stop to the Republican-leaning area before the November election, Trump promised to rebuild every home destroyed by the storm and cut red tape.
He has also sharply criticized Democrat officials' response to the wildfires in Los Angeles that have caused widespread destruction this month. Some Republican members of Congress have suggested withholding disaster aid for the region..
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump mentioned the possibility of withholding aid and claimed that California Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials have not provided water from the northern part of the state to fight the fires. Newsom and state officials have disputed this claim.
"I don't think we should give California anything until they let the water flow down," he said.
He has also claimed that Newsom prioritized the preservation of endangered fish over public safety. Newsom has said there is no connection between the fish and the fire.
Trump will be visiting Los Angeles while three massive blazes are still threatening the region.
Since they broke out Jan. 7, the fires have killed 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, authorities say. Much of Southern California remains under a red-flag warning for extreme fire risk due to strong, dry winds.
Scientists say the Earth's warming atmosphere can make hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters more powerful.
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