(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump spent the first part of a daylong tour of North Carolina speaking to victims of Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, just east of Asheville.
Trump praised the people who are working around the clock but criticized FEMA once again for its responses to Helene.
If elected, Trump told those present that come January 20, there will be new crews in town to help those affected by Helene.
Trump’s initial remarks were delivered in a somber tone as he empathized with the plight of locals who later spoke to the media.
NewsNation asked Trump what he plans to focus on in the next two weeks in the final stretch of the campaign, and his response was that he’s planning to work around the clock, just like those first responders and helpers in North Carolina.
“We’re workers, I don’t know if it’s the best thing,” Trump told the residents and politicians who stood behind him. “We didn’t, we didn’t have to be. A lot of them didn’t have to be. I didn’t have to be. I could have been on a beautiful beach, but I’d much rather be right here with you because we’re going to turn the country around.
“I have no days off, so I’ll be going into the 60s or 70s in terms of no days off. I don’t want a day off. We have to win. We have to win, we have to save our country. We have to just make America great again. That’s the message.”
Trump has been critical of the Biden administration’s response to Helene, echoing the complaints of some residents who have said they cannot communicate with FEMA relief workers.
When asked if his criticism of FEMA has been helpful, Trump replied that he and everyone else are entitled to critique people who are not doing the best job.
The former president has also been accused of spreading misinformation about the administration’s response, such as clean-up crews avoiding so-called Republican-leaning areas. FEMA says that is not true.