Touring disaster sites, Trump says he wants to get rid of FEMA

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

67% : "When he arrived in North Carolina, Trump was greeted at the airport by a crowd of supporters wearing MAGA baseball caps and American flag sweaters.
62% : In California we want them to have voter ID so the people have a voice ...
61% : At the same time, Trump prevailed easily in the surrounding counties of Henderson, Haywood, Madison, Yancey and McDowell.
58% : "So you were sort of on a boat," Trump replied.
56% : "Trump listened intently, occasionally asking questions as residents recounted harrowing stories of seeing the bodies of neighbors and families looking for their loved ones.
55% : "By making this the first official trip of his presidency, President Trump is keeping his promise to the people of Western North Carolina that we are not forgotten," Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-North Carolina), whose district includes Asheville and the far western reaches of the state, said in a statement.Edwards, who planned to attend the visit Friday, added, "I intend to show President Trump the progress we are making, the unwavering resilience of the people of WNC, and why there is a dire need to overhaul FEMA.
54% : Trump has claimed that he is a popular figure in the areas hit hardest by the storm in western North Carolina, and in places that undoubtedly is true.
53% : Bass said Thursday that she is eager to meet with Trump to discuss the fire recovery.
53% : Trump also carried North Carolina statewide by more than 3 percentage points.
52% : "In an email, a spokesman for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) said that Trump had repeatedly reached out to the senator to check on the status of the recovery in western North Carolina, making clear that it remained a priority.
47% : President Donald Trump, on a tour of two states reeling in recent months from hurricanes and wildfires, pledged on Friday to upend how the country has responded for decades to natural disasters, saying that he wants to eliminate FEMA and threatening to withhold federal assistance to California unless it passes a new voter ID law.
47% : In his remarks starting the day, however, he threatened to withhold federal assistance to California if the state doesn't change its voting laws.
40% : "A Schiff spokesperson said he appreciated the invitation but declined because of scheduled votes in the Senate.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will join Trump for his emergency briefing after he tours neighborhoods burned in the Pacific Palisades later Friday.
38% : Wasn't thrilled, to be honest with you," Trump said.
36% : Trump last visited the storm-battered region in North Carolina during a brief trip in October, where he spoke near a neighborhood along the Swannanoa River that had been ravaged by Helene's floodwaters.
34% : "You were treated very badly by the previous administration," Trump told the families.
33% : "At a time when disasters are becoming more frequent and less predictable, Trump's rhetoric thrust a new element of volatility into federal responses during times of disaster.
31% : "Trump had also ridiculed FEMA during his first term, and some officials have pointed out that a number of conservative states -- including Texas, Louisiana, and Florida -- get significant amounts of funding from the federal agency and any effort to dismantle it would trigger a vigorous political debate.
31% : "After finishing his trip to Western North Carolina, in an area of the state that largely supports him, Trump boarded Air Force One to California to tour wildfire damage in the Los Angeles area.
31% : As recently as a few days ago Trump called Schiff "scum.
30% : "FEMA needs reforms, and I'm willing to work with President Trump on that -- but to do away with FEMA altogether would leave families, businesses, and communities hammered by disaster beyond desperate and destitute," Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) said in a statement.
27% : "I think we're going to recommend that FEMA go away," Trump said, suggesting that states take the lead role in responding to disasters and then get reimbursed a percentage of their costs from the federal government.
23% : "Even as Trump again criticized FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene on Friday, the agency itself has said that it continues to help residents recover.
21% : In the first official trip of his second term, Trump also threatened to withhold disaster aid to California unless the state enacts a voter ID law.
21% : On a separate webpage that the agency has maintained for months, aimed at countering misinformation surrounding the recovery efforts, FEMA also counters claims that Trump has made -- including the one about funneling disaster aid to migrants.
19% : "Trump has often complained about the blue state's water policies, but water experts have said his suggestion that California could turn on a valve to let water flow from the north is incorrect.
17% : Trump then asked him questions about which insurance company was giving him a hard time and whether other neighbors were having similar struggles.
3% : Among those invited to travel with Trump on Air Force One was Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California), whom Trump has often criticized over his role investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

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