01/25/2025

Trump Demands California Voter ID Law in Exchange for Wildfire Relief

He also threatened FEMA upon arrival in North Carolina

On Friday, President Donald Trump said he would demand that California overhaul its election laws and reverse environmental policies as a condition of any federal funds to help the state recover from wildfires that have devastated the Los Angeles area in recent weeks.

He also claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had mishandled efforts to help North Carolinians recover from Hurricane Helene and suggested that the White House and Republican National Committee (RNC) would somehow take over the distribution of any relief funds authorized by Congress. Trump took aim at FEMA as he arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, to view hurricane damage, before traveling to California to view the devastation wrought by wildfires.

Speaking to reporters just after he disembarked Air Force One, Trump told reporters that FEMA, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, "has really let us down," though it was unclear what exactly he was accusing the agency of failed to do.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Independent.