Trump warns FEMA faces reckoning after Biden admin: ‘Didn’t do their job’

President Donald Trump warned late Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) faces a showdown after four years under the Biden administration, claiming the emergency agency “hasn’t done their job.”

“FEMA hasn’t done their job for the last four years. You know, I had FEMA working really well. We had hurricanes in Florida. We had Alabama tornadoes. But unless you have certain types of leadership, it’s really, that coming in And FEMA is going to be a big discussion very soon, because I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” Trump said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, his first White House interview. since his inauguration.

Trump then turned his attention to the state of Oklahoma, proclaiming that he won all 77 of the state’s counties in the 2024 election, arguing that if the Sooner State is hit by a tornado, state leaders should take the lead on emergency preparedness before the federal government steps in for further assistance.

“I love Oklahoma, but you know what? If they get hit by a tornado or something, let Oklahoma fix it. … And then the federal government can help them with the money. FEMA gets in the way of everything and Democrats spend actually FEMA not to help North Carolina,” Trump continued.

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President Donald Trump sits down for an interview with Fox News. (Fox News/Hannity)

FEMA came under the nation’s scrutiny last year when Hurricane Helene tore through North Carolina, devastating residents as it obliterated homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people. FEMA and the Biden administration faced fierce backlash for its handling of the emergency, while Trump accused the agency of hindering relief efforts in Republican areas.

“The Democrats don’t care about North Carolina. What they’ve done with FEMA is so bad. FEMA is a whole ‘nother discussion because all it does is complicate everything,” he said.

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“So I’m stopping on Friday. I’m stopping in North Carolina, first stop, because those people were treated very badly by the Democrats. And I’m stopping there. We’ve got to fix that thing because they’re still suffering from a hurricane from months ago,” Trump said.

Flooding from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

Trump will visit North Carolina on Friday, his first trip as president, where he is expected to tour and meet with residents devastated by the hurricane in September. He will also visit California on the same day, where wildfires have ripped through the Los Angeles area this month.

The trip is set to highlight what Trump has described as emergency preparedness failures at the hands of Democratic leaders.

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A house burns as the Palisades Fire rages at Mandeville Canyon, in Los Angeles, California, USA, on January 11, 2025. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

“And then I go to, then I go to California,” he said, before criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of wildfire prevention and response. Trump has long criticized the Democratic governor for prioritizing environmental policies, such as protecting the dwindling salmon and Chinook salmon stocks, and not draining water sources in the northern part of the state, which he argued would allow for better fire preparedness.

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“There’s huge amounts of water, rainwater and mountain water that comes with the snow that comes down as it melts, there’s so much water that they release it into the Pacific Ocean,” he said.