U.S. President Donald Trump visited disaster-hit western North Carolina on Friday and was traveling later to Los Angeles, promising help while stoking partisan tensions with Democratic rivals over recovery efforts.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is heading to hurricane-battered western North Carolina and wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles on Friday, using the first trip of his second administration to tour areas where politics has clouded the response to deadly disasters.

The president cited the disasters during his inauguration speech Monday as examples of an insufficient federal response to communities in need.

President Donald Trump said he's considering "getting rid of" FEMA as he hit the road for the first time since his second inauguration, visiting victims of Hurricane Helene and the California wildfires.