By Nandita Bose and Steve Holland
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday floated shuttering the Federal Emergency Management Agency during a trip to disaster areas in North Carolina and California, where he pledged government support and sparred with Democratic officials.
Fresh from assuming office on Monday, Trump’s visit showcased a desire to show up early in the two states, hit by a hurricane and massive wildfires, respectively. But he punctured the visits with criticism of FEMA, vowing to sign an executive order to overhaul or eliminate the main federal agency that responds to natural disasters.
“FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,” he said during a tour of a North Carolina neighborhood destroyed by September’s Hurricane Helene. “I think we recommend that FEMA go away.”
Trump accused FEMA of bungling emergency relief efforts there and said he preferred that states be given federal money to handle…
