Donald Trump kicked off his day-long tour in North Carolina by surveying the damage caused by Hurricane Helene and railing against federal emergency responders.
“I think you have to let people know how they’re doing,” the former president told reporters outside Asheville on Monday when asked about the threats against FEMA workers.
“If they were doing a great job, I think we should say that too because I think they should be rewarded … If they’re doing a poor job, we’re supposed to not say it?”
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently paused its recovery effort in the area amid a flurry of threats and reports of being targeted by militias, and, on Oct. 12, a North Carolina man, armed with an assault rifle, was arrested for allegedly threatening FEMA workers.
Those threatening and criticizing FEMA, Trump claimed, are “honest people.”
“These people are entitled to say it,” he said.
The agency’s “security stand down” followed false claims made by Trump and several other Republicans about Helene recovery efforts, including that the US government can influence the weather and crucial aid was being withheld because FEMA spent its budget assisting illegal immigrants.
Still, the former president still used his North Carolina press conference to continue pushing hurricane misinformation, namely that the federal government spent its resources on “illegal migrants.”
