Donald Trump, who has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, which struck North Carolina in September 2024, said that he would like to see states assume more responsibility in the aftermath of natural disasters, rather than the federal government.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday floated shuttering the Federal Emergency Management Agency during a trip to disaster areas in North Carolina and California, where he pledged government support and sparred with Democratic officials.

President Donald Trump suggested he might eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday during a trip to tour damage from Hurricane Helene flooding in North Carolina, a state he’s said “has been abandoned by the Democrats.

FLETCHER, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump said he was considering “getting rid of FEMA” as he visited hurricane-battered North Carolina on Friday during the first trip of his second term.

In North Carolina Friday, President Donald Trump said he would sign an executive order aimed at what he said would address problems inherent to FEMA.

President Donald Trump floated “getting rid” of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Friday as he visited western North Carolina to survey the damage and recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene.

President Donald Trump threatened “getting rid of FEMA,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,” Trump said on Friday during a tour of a North Carolina neighborhood destroyed by Hurricane Helene.