President Donald Trump plans to visit various disaster-struck parts of the nation but will start Friday with North Carolina, as its people suffered for months and have been “treated so badly.”
The American government has in recent decades eagerly doled out hundreds of billions of dollars for foreign aid and engaged in fruitless nation-building projects abroad. Former President Joe Biden, for instance, blew $230 million on a useless floating pier off Gaza that was dismantled after 20 days. Recent disasters — in Hawaii, North Carolina, and California, for example — have left some Americans wondering whether their government felt similarly compelled to apply such zeal in domestic relief efforts.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene — which killed over 100 Americans and reportedly damaged at least 6,000 miles of road and over 160 water and sewer systems, over 1,000 bridges and culverts, and at least 73,000 homes — Trump seized upon the perceived difference between the Biden administration’s responses to foreign and domestic crises.
‘We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people.’
“They’re offering them $750, to people whose homes have been washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of,” President Donald Trump said at an Oct. 5 rally, referring to the one-time $750-per-household payment to eligible disaster survivors through FEMA’s “Serious Needs Assistance.” “Think of it: We give foreign countries hundreds of billions of dollars and we’re handing North Carolina $750.”
Trump hammered this point home in his inaugural address, stating:
We have a government that has given unlimited funding to the defense of foreign borders but refuses to defend American borders or, more importantly, its own people. Our country can no longer deliver basic services in times of emergency, as recently shown by the wonderful people of North Carolina — who have been treated so badly — and other states who are still suffering from a hurricane that took place many months ago or, more recently, Los Angeles, where we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense.
A Dec. 13 damage and needs assessment in North Carolina estimated that the cost of damages and needs was over $59.6 billion, “including $44.4 billion of direct damage, $9.4 billion of indirect or induced damage, and $5.8 billion of potential investments for strengthening and mitigation.”
‘We’re going to get that thing straightened out.’
While federal funds trickled into the Tar Heel State since the storm along with piecemeal relief efforts — despite the apparent aversion of some within the Federal Emergency Management Agency to render aid to potential Trump supporters — the sense of abandonment remains strong.
Residents of Swannanoa, North Carolina, for instance, told WXII-TV this week that they have received very little help from the federal government and expressed hope that things will change under the new leadership.
Ian Monley, a worker with Valley Strong Disaster Relief, said, “We’ve seen people living in condemned trailers where they have raw sewage under their trailers. We’ve seen people living in tents. We’ve seen people living in cars. Normally, you see FEMA trailers rolling in and things to get people housing. And we haven’t seen any of that.”
Trump, who suspended all foreign development assistance programs for 90 days on Monday, said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity Tuesday evening, “On Friday, I’m stopping in North Carolina — first stop because those people were treated very badly by Democrats.”
“We’re going to get that thing straightened out because they’re still suffering from a hurricane months ago,” added Trump.
Josh Stein, the state’s new Democratic governor, confirmed Trump’s visit during a Tuesday briefing, noting, “I think that’s very good news for the people of Western North Carolina that this issue is front of mind of the new administration.”
While uncertain of his schedule, Stein said he hopes “to be able to see” Trump.
After visiting North Carolina, Trump is headed to Los Angeles then Nevada.
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