In North Carolina, the president pledged “the support that you need to quickly recover and rebuild” after a hurricane. His message to fire-ravaged California had a different tone.

The Republican president has criticized former President Joe Biden for his administration's response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. As he left the White House, he told reporters that “it’s been a horrible thing the way that’s been allowed to fester” since the storm hit in September, and "we're going to get it fixed up.”