By Steve Holland and Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – 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.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump also threatened to withhold aid and repeated a false claim that California Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials have refused to provide water from the northern part of the state to fight the fires.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water flow down,” he said.
He has also falsely claimed that Newsom prioritized the preservation of endangered fish over public safety. Newsom has said there is no connection between the fish and the fire.
Trump will be visiting Los Angeles while three massive blazes are still threatening the region.
Since they broke out Jan. 7, the fires have killed 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, authorities say. Much of Southern California remains under a red-flag warning for extreme fire risk due to strong, dry winds.
Scientists say the Earth’s warming atmosphere can make hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters more powerful.
Since taking office, Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate agreement and moved to undo some of Biden’s green-energy initiatives. He has also opened up more public lands for oil and gas drilling.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andy Sullivan; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
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