The Daily Populous Friday January 24th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by cnn.com and submitted by darkon

President Donald Trump speaks while visiting a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on January 24. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

In his first trip since inauguration, President Donald Trump on Friday visited North Carolina, a state trying to rebuild from the devastation wrought last year by Hurricane Helene.

He’s now on his way to Los Angeles to view the damage caused by the wildfires. Here’s a recap of what he has said so far:

On FEMA: Trump said he may get rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and called it a disaster. “I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think, frankly, FEMA is not good,” the president said.

Trump said governors may want to use their state to fix problems instead of calling the agency. “FEMA just hasn’t done the job. And we’re looking at the whole concept of FEMA.”

On helping North Carolina: Trump said he wants to take care of the people of North Carolina. “Everybody is talking about California, and that’s a mess. But I said, I’m not going to California until I stop in North Carolina. So here we are,” Trump said after arriving in Asheville. In another political move, the president said the Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley and lawmakers will be “working” with North Carolina elected officials on disaster relief.

Removing red tape: Trump said that he would get rid of permits and other red tape to help communities rebuild in North Carolina. The president was speaking in Swannanoa after touring areas damaged by the storm. Hurricane Helene made landfall September 26, 2024.

On aid to California: Ahead of his flight to Los Angeles, Trump said he will be conditioning aid to California, demanding the “water to be released.” He also said he wants voter ID in the state. It is an unusual political demand for the president to make, and one that politicizes disaster relief in a state that is reeling from the wildfires.

On politics: Trump also said he didn’t invite Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff to travel with him to California to survey wildfire damage. Earlier Friday, CNN reported the White House extended an invitation to Schiff —a longtime Trump foe — to accompany him, but that a spokesperson for the California lawmaker said he wouldn’t be able to make it “due to scheduled nomination votes.” However, Trump said, “I really don’t know. You know, because if he’s going to be there, it would be cheaper, but I didn’t invite him, somebody did.”

rellsell on January 24th, 2025 at 16:33 UTC »

Brilliant move… the operating cost of a C-17 is $25K/hour. Load up 150 migrants and drop them off in Mexico City… the round trip is only $250,000. DOGE at work…

Zinfan1 on January 24th, 2025 at 15:52 UTC »

What happens when countries deny the planes permission to land or even fly over their airspace?

barontaint on January 24th, 2025 at 15:40 UTC »

Um... Can't you fit way more than 80 people in C-17 and certainly a C-130. So not only are they awful, they're horribly inefficient and wasting money. I am shocked, shocked I tell you.