Trump to Visit North Carolina and California, With Disaster Aid an Open Question

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Fri Jan 24, 2025, 10:50 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: New York Times

Trump to Visit North Carolina and California, With Disaster Aid an Open Question
While he has expressed support for North Carolina residents, the president has criticized California's Democratic leaders and threatened to withhold federal aid from the state.


Mark Abramson for The New York Times

By Zolan Kanno-Youngs
Zolan Kanno-Youngs covers the White House.
Jan. 24, 2025, 5:03 a.m. ET

President Trump will take his first trip since returning to the White House on Friday to storm-ravaged North Carolina and California, which is suffering some of the most deadly and destructive blazes in the state's history. ... The trip comes as the president has left the question of additional disaster aid for California unsettled.

Mr. Trump is expected to make his first stop in Asheville, N.C., which suffered devastating flooding from Hurricane Helene last fall. Mr. Trump then plans on traveling to the Los Angeles area, where he will observe the damage from wildfires that have killed more than two dozen people, destroyed entire neighborhoods and forced desperate evacuations.

But on the likelihood of additional federal aid for each state, Mr. Trump has struck very different tones. While he has expressed support for North Carolina, Mr. Trump has criticized California's Democratic leaders for the disaster response and threatened to withhold federal aid if they did not make changes to unrelated environmental policies in the state.

Presidents have typically visited areas recovering from natural disasters to show personal support and assure community members of federal aid for emergency medical workers and local leaders. Mr. Trump, however, has often used natural disasters as a vehicle to unleash political grievances, threatening to withhold money from political opponents, making false statements about disaster responses by Democrats and promising support for political allies.

{snip}

Annie Karni contributed reporting.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a White House correspondent, covering President Trump and his administration. More about Zolan Kanno-Youngs
https://www.nytimes.com/by/zolan-kanno-youngs

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/us/politics/trump-north-carolina-california-disaster-aid.html

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There are two VC-25s that often serve as AF1. Trump will be on one or the other of these planes:

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Usually when AF1 heads off in the direction, the departure route from KADW takes the plane over the Alexandria-Arlington County border, and I can easily see the plane.

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There's nothing on the calendar yet.

https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/topic/calendar/

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Edited to add: The plane left KADW at about 9:35 a.m. I didn't hear it over the radio. Pity.

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More editing: The plane is on final approach.