Trump departs White House to visit disaster zones in North Carolina and California

President Donald Trump is heading to hurricane-battered North Carolina and wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles. It's the first trip of his second term. Trump has frequently blended politics and disasters, and Friday will likely be no different. He has sharply criticized President Joe Biden's administration for its handling of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, and he's suggested withholding money from California unless it changes water policies. Trump will follow those stops with a Saturday victory rally in Las Vegas, where he plans to start detailing how he can begin keeping a campaign promise to exclude tips from federal taxes.