President Donald Trump proved magnanimous during his Friday visit to regions of North Carolina that are still reeling from damage caused by Hurricane Helene last fall, as families continue to struggle after many feel they were failed by the Biden-Harris administration.
“We’re going to North Carolina. It’s been a horrible thing the way that’s been allowed to fester, and we’re going to get it fixed up. It should have been done months ago, from the hurricane that took place almost four months ago,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn Friday morning before boarding Marine One.
“North Carolina has been treated very badly, so we’re stopping there,” Trump said during his first trip since being sworn in on Monday.
While on the ground in the Tarheel State, the president turned over his podium to several residents who voiced angst and frustration at a continued lack of response from FEMA.
During discussions there, Trump promised to either reform or eliminate the federal emergency agency due to its ongoing failures stemming from bureaucracy, mismanagement of resources, and political ideology. Prior to Trump’s visit it was revealed FEMA workers avoided approaching homes in North Carolina and Florida with Trump signs or flags.
President Trump allows Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina to tell their heartbreaking stories in front of the nation.
The forgotten men and women of this country are forgotten no more. pic.twitter.com/ofEDlFfl3X
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 24, 2025
Scores of residents in western North Carolina are still sleeping in tents and campers more than 100 days after Helene hit the region, Fox News noted.
Two locals from North Carolina who survived the storm in September but endured significant losses shared a quote from Trump that resonated with them during his visit to hurricane-affected areas on Friday.
“He seems like he genuinely cares, and…I’m glad that he’s here because it feels like we were forgotten or never taken care of under the other administration,” Fairview resident Curtis Wright, who met Trump on Friday, told the outlet.
“He said, ‘We’re here, and we’re going to help you,’ and I believe him,” Wright added.
Wright’s father lost his home and his small business, while Wright lost his home, along with his tractors and farming tools.
“We pretty much all lost everything, and it’s hard to build back when you don’t have tools,” he said.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, around 10 a.m. on Friday, making stops in Fletcher and Swannanoa. The president spoke alongside local residents and politicians before departing for California later in the afternoon to visit areas affected by wildfires.
“We’ve come to North Carolina with a simple message for all the people of this region who were hit so hard by Hurricane Helene, and that message is very simple: You are not forgotten any longer,” the president said in Swannanoa before he heard personal stories from a group of locals.
Many of the campers on private property have been donated by local and national charities, including Samaritan’s Purse and Cajun Navy, which are collaborating with Emergency RV to provide used and new campers. Some individuals are residing in campers provided by FEMA at designated sites.
Holly Cape of Emergency RV told Fox News Digital that the organization has donated 87 RVs to date and expects that number to increase to 104 by the end of next week.
“I promised that I’d come back to western North Carolina to help the people of the state, and today, here I am to deliver on that promise,” Trump said Friday. “We have a lot of things in mind, and we’re getting the … Army Corps of Engineers all set. You need your riverbanks fixed. You need a lot of roads fixed. And we’re going to get it done in rapid time.”
