On January 24, 2025, US President Donald Trump spoke to the media at the Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville, North Carolina, USA, accompanied by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, as they arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, USA. Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville to assess recovery efforts and tour areas damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Leah Millis | Reuters
President Donald Trump He said on Friday he plans to take executive action to overhaul — and possibly terminate — the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), criticizing the agency’s response to North Carolina’s historic flooding.
“I think we would advise FEMA to leave,” Trump said at a news conference in Asheville, North Carolina, which suffered devastation from Hurricane Helene in September.
The president will travel later Friday to Los Angeles, which continues to battle wildfires ravaging large swaths of the city.
“We’re looking at the whole concept of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Trump told reporters on the airport tarmac after arriving in Asheville.
“Frankly, I like the concept that when North Carolina gets hit, the governor takes care of it. When Florida gets hit, the governor takes care of it, which means the state takes care of it,” he said.
“Having a bunch of people come in from an area that doesn’t even know where they’re going, to solve a problem right away has never worked for me,” Trump said.
Trump added that additional aid to North Carolina and California should come directly from the federal government.
“So it’s going to go through us, not through FEMA,” he said.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
