Trump to visit North Carolina and Los Angeles in disaster tour

U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to disaster-hit western North Carolina and Los Angeles on Friday in a trip that could inflame partisan tensions over 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.

But Trump has indicated that he may use the trip to stoke grievances against Democratic rivals.

He has complained that his Democratic 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 Democratic officials' response to the wildfires in Los Angeles that have caused widespread destruction this month. His fellow Republicans in Congress have threatened to withhold disaster aid for the region.



Reuters