Trump and Melania leave White House for disaster zones
DAILYMAIL.COM LIVE BLOG: The Republican president has lambasted former President Joe Biden for his administration's response in North Carolina.
Published: 14:19 GMT, 24 January 2025 | Updated: 15:55 GMT, 24 January 2025
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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania left the Whiet House on Friday to tour hurricane-battered western North Carolina and wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles.
On his fifth day in office Trump will tour areas where politics has clouded the response to deadly disasters.
He stepped out with Melania, who was wrapped up with a beanie and a coat and aviators for the trip across the country.Â
The Republican president has lambasted former President Joe Biden for his administration's response in North Carolina.
He has also poured disdain on California leaders, including Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, over the fires.
Newsom has said he plans to confront Trump on the tarmac, even though he's not been invited.Â
Follow all the updates at DailyMail.com's live blogÂ
Trump leaves White House for disaster zone tour
By Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Politicial Correspondent
President Donald Trump leaves Washington for his first trip of his second administration Friday to do a tour of disaster zones in North Carolina and California.
He heads first to Asheville, which was devasted by tornadoes in September, and where he condemned President Joe Bidenâs response to the disaster.
More controversy awaits when he tours areas of Los Angeles levelled by wild fires.
He has frequently abused Gov. Gavin Newsom, nicknaming him âNewscum,â and claimed that he will withhold federal aid unless the state turns on a valve he claims would allow water to flow in from northern parts of the state.
Experts say there is no such valve and that California has worked for years on trying to get more water to dry areas of the state.
âI don't think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,â Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity on Wednesday. The president also suggested shifting more responsibility to individual states for managing disasters. âI'd rather see the states take care of their own problems,â he told Hannity, adding that âFEMA is getting in the way of everything.â
Lawmakers asked January 6 star witness Cassidy Hutchinson for 'sexual favors,' bombshell report claims
An aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson urged his Republican colleagues not to subpoena January 6 committee witness Cassidy Hutchinson to prevent the accidental release of sexually explicit texts the 28-year-old was sent by lawmakers.
The Washington Post first reported the explosive allegations on Thursday, as the House GOP seeks to restart an investigation of the January 6 House select committee at the urging of President Donald Trump.
Hutchinson's testimony about January 6 was some of the most embarrassing for Trump - as she recounted hearing that he threw a hissy fit to Secret Service when they wouldn't take him to the Capitol after his Ellipse rally.
She also vividly recalled how Trump threw his plate of food at the wall when he found out that Attorney General Bill Barr told the Associated Press that the DOJ found no instances of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Hutchinson's testimony was wanted as the GOP's investigation tried to find fault in how former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, among others, handled the Democrat-led House probe on January 6.
GOP rep. makes bombshell proposal that could keep Trump in the White House until 2032
A Tennessee congressman has proposed amending the Constitution to allow Donald Trump to serve a third term as president.
Rep. Andy Ogles filed a Joint Resolution in Congress this week advancing a change to the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which currently restricts presidents to two terms.
In his resolution, Ogles included several stipulations to the change if it passes, including barring any president being elected to a third consecutive term after serving two in a row.
'And no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice,' the resolution read.
'And no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice,' the resolution read.
Putin says Ukrainian 'crisis' could have been avoided if Trump 'had not been deprived of election win'
Vladimir Putin today declared that the war in Ukraine could have been averted had Donald Trump not been 'robbed of the election' in 2020.
Describing his armed forces' full-scale invasion of their neighbour in February 2022 as a 'crisis', Putin told state media the horrific bloodshed that has blighted eastern Europe for almost three years would not have happened under a Trump presidency.
'I cannot but agree with him that if he had been president, if his victory had not been stolen from him in 2020, then perhaps there would not have been the crisis in Ukraine that arose in 2022,' the Russian president said.
His comments came as part of a wide-ranging interview in which the Kremlin chief heaped praise on the newly inaugurated US president, labelling Trump 'smart and pragmatic' while also signalling a willingness to approach the negotiating table over Ukraine.
Trump on Italy tariffs: 'I like her very much'
By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor
President Trump was asked if he would give Italy a break on some of the big tariffs he is threatening for Europe.
'Well, I like her very much. Let's see what happens,' Trump responded.
His remark was likely a reference to Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, who visited with him at Mar-a-Lago and attended his inauguration â and suggested personal rapport, not just economic analysis, could be a factor in which nations and industries get hit hardest.
It comes after Trump threatened that 'we're going to do something about it' after blasting the U.S. trade deficit with Europe on cars and agricultural products.
Trump also issued a more sweeping tariff threat in his video speech at Davos, where he also unleashed on the Bank of America CEO. He told industry elites: 'If you donât make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then, very simply, you will have to pay a tariff.'
FBI and Homeland Security raid office of Sanctuary City's star immigration attorney who bragged about 'crimmigration' expertise
A Homeland Security team and federal agents raided the offices of an immigration attorney who focused on 'crimmigration' on Thursday, just days after President Donald Trump began to crack down on illegal immigration.
Investigators were seen carting away evidence from the law offices of Joseph Molina Flynn on Dorrance Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island - a sanctuary city.
Videos posted online showed agents taking boxes of files and loading them into the scores of black SUVs and police vehicles parked outside.
An FBI spokesperson would only confirm to The Providence Journal that the agency was 'conducting court-authorized activity' at the building.
But two people with knowledge of the investigation told WPRI that the federal agents were looking into Flynn over allegations that he defrauded his clients seeking representation on immigration-related matters.
Proof Donald and Melania Trump's marriage has entered a 'new phase'... as insiders spill on THAT kiss and how Ivanka is playing a pivotal role
At least everyone can agree that Melania Trump's hat didn't become the stand-out star of the presidential inauguration by accident.
Fashion experts and biographers alike concurred that the ex-model and renowned clothes horse, a woman who clearly puts a lot of thought into her outfits, wore the elegant if rather severe, navy headwear to make a bold statement.
What that statement was, however, was subject to wide interpretation.
When Donald Trump repeatedly experienced difficulty navigating its wide brim to plant a kiss on his First Lady's face, his critics were quick to suggest that she'd intentionally worn it to stop him from coming anywhere near her.
Even its designer, celebrity hatter Eric Javits, fueled such speculation by noting that 'going back to Victorian times, a brim sort of defined a woman's space'. Indeed, the brim was so broad it cast much of her face in shadow.
For those who continue to insist that Mrs Trump is not only trapped in a loveless marriage but disagrees fundamentally with her husband's career, this was clear proof that she was concealing her emotions and distancing herself from the event.
Trump sending J.D. Vance to March for Life
By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at the White House
President Donald Trump will be missing Friday's March for Life in Washington but pointed out on the South Lawn that he'll be sending Vice President J.D. Vance instead.
'I'm going to be watching it and J.D. Vance, our vice president, is there,' Trump said. 'He's going to be representing us very well. Taking place in a little while. Other than being a little bit cold it's going to be a good day.'
Trump then called attention to the pardons he gave to anti-abortion activists who had blocked abortion clinic entrances.
'As you know I just signed a pardon and in the pardon we released 23 people that were unjustly put in having to do with pro-life. And they will be released and they'll be out very shortly,' the president said. 'It was disgraceful.'
Trump responds to Adam Schiff âsnubbingâ L.A. disaster tour and says âsomebodyâ invited him
President Trump responded to California Sen. Adam Schiffâs decision to stay away from his L.A. fire visit. Schiffâs office cited nomination votes â there is one scheduled for Pete Hegseth to be Defense Secretary.
Asked why he invited Schiff, Trump responded while leaving the White House: âI donât know. Is he going? Is he going? I donât know, I mean I really donât. You know, because if heâs going to be there it would be cheaper, but I didnât invite him. Somebody did.â
Schiffâs office had said the new Democratic senator âgreatly appreciates the Presidentâs visit to see the devastation of these wildfires firsthand and the invitation to accompany him, and regrets that heâs unable to join the President in Los Angeles due to scheduled nomination votes.â
Trump in the past has called Schiff, a former House impeachment manager and January 6 panel member, âpencil neckâ and âscum.â
Trump admits shock after GOP senators go against Pete Hegseth: 'I was very surprised'
Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill
Donald Trump opened up about his shock that two GOP senators are going against his choice for defense secretary.
'I was very surprised that Collins and Murkowski would do that,' the president told reporters of the two veteran female senators from Alaska and Maine.
The pair noted last night in social media posts that they would not vote for Pete Hegseth's confirmation this evening.
It is the final hurdle the former Fox News host must cross to be sworn in.
'And of course, Mitch is always a no vote, I guess,' Trump added, mentioning the former longtime Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.
'Is Mitch a 'no' vote?' the president added. 'How about Mitch, huh?'
'Let's see what happens.'
If McConnell were to vote against Hegseth tonight, VP JD Vance would likely be forced to step in and break a tie.
If two GOP senators in addition to Murkowski and Collins vote 'no' on Hegseth, the 44-year-old will almost certainly not get confirmed.
Trump engages in first 'chopper talk' as he slams North Carolina, LA disaster response
By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at the White House
President Donald Trump held his first 'chopper talk' Friday - engaging with reporters with first lady Melania Trump at his side as he departed on the South Lawn for Western North Carolina and then Los Angeles.
He complained that North Carolina has been a 'horrible thing.'
'The way that's been allowed to fester. And we're going to get it fixed up,' he said. 'Should have been months ago. From the hurricane that took place almost four months ago,' Trump said.
'North Carolina has been treated very badly so we're stopping there and we're then going to go to Los Angeles. And take a look at a fire that could have been put out if they had let the water flow, but they didn't let the water flow,' the president claimed.
Senator Adam Schiff snubs Trump's first trip to tour disaster zones in North Carolina and California
Democratic Senator Adam Schiff has turned down Donald Trump's invite to tour the devastation caused by the wildfires in Los Angeles.
The president leaves Washington for his first trip of his second administration Friday to do a tour of disaster zones in North Carolina and California.
He invited Schiff, a longtme foe who he called 'scum' on his first day back in the White House.
But a spokesman for the newly-elected Calfirornia Senator said he was 'unable' to attend due to 'scheduled nomination votes'.
Embattled defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth joins Trump on disaster zone tours
Jon Michael Raasch, U.S. Political Reporter on Capitol Hill
Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon Pete Hegseth will be touring disaster zones in California and North Carolina alongside the president Friday.
The cross-country visits will occur just hours before the Senate is scheduled to vote on the nominee's final confirmation to become secretary of defense.
The many photo-ops may benefit the president and his pick as they tour hurricane and fire wreckage.
Hegseth can't afford to lose many more GOP votes in the Senate because two Republican senators announced they would not support the former Fox News host last night.
Putting on a united front with the president just before the critical confirmation vote may be enough to buoy Hegseth through what will be a choppy confirmation around 9 pm ET tonight.
First lady Melania Trump joins her husband as he departs for North Carolina and L.A.
President Donald Trump engaged in some of his signature 'chopper talk' before heading out on his trip to tour disaster recovery in North Carolina and Los Angeles.
First lady Melania Trump bundled up and accompanied him as he left the White House on a frigid morning in D.C.
She will attend meetings with him along with disaster relief officials and politicians.
The fist lady, who famously wore a jacket that said 'I really don't care, do you?' on a trip to visit child migrant shelters, sported a black knit cap and Aviator sunglasses â the eyewear of choice for former President Joe Biden.
Gavin Newsom's deranged plot to ruin Trump's first presidential visit to tour LA fire wreckage
Gavin Newsom plans to crash the proceedings when Donald Trump makes his first visit to California during his second term Friday to survey the Los Angeles wildfires.
Newsom, who has not been invited to join Trump on the tour, told the press Thursday that he's going to be at LAX to greet the president - whether he likes it or not.
'I look forward to being there on the tarmac to thank the president, welcome him, and we're making sure that all the resources he needs for a successful briefing are provided to him,' Newsom said.
He added that he'll be rolling out the red carpet, saying: 'There's no limit to the resources we'll provide for that briefing.'
Trump and the California governor have feuded for years, with the president referring to the liberal as 'Newscum' and the Democrat working tirelessly to keep Trump from regaining the White House.
Tensions have been high between the two of late, as Trump has slammed how Newsom handled the deadly wildfires.
Trump orders the release of the final JFK assassination files
The last secret files about the assassination of John F. Kennedy can now be published after President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the declassification of all remaining documents about the 1963 murder.
Conspiracy theories continue to swirl 60 years after the killing.
And any new information will excite the amateur sleuths who continue to wonder whether there is more to the story than just a lone gunman in the shape of Lee Harvey Oswald.
Trump signed an executive order that directs his Director of National Intelligence to put together a plan within 15 days for the full release of documents about the JFK assassination.
'That's a big one, huh?' he said as he scrawled his signature on the order, before asking that the pen be given to RFK Jr. 'A lot of people are waiting for this for a long ... for years, for decades.
'Everything will be revealed.'
North CarolinaLive BlogDonald Trump
, who assumes a false identity, and Cheon Seung Hwi (Choo Young Woo), who risks everything to protect her.
With just one episode left to go, the dramaâs leads took a nostalgic look back at filming and spoke fondly about what the series meant to them.
Lim Ji Yeon shared, âEven as I was playing Ok Tae Young, I found myself rooting for her. Because sheâs a character for whom I felt deep affection, I think [playing her] was all the more special.â
She also expressed her gratitude to the showâs viewers, noting, âMore people became invested in Ok Tae Youngâs life than Iâd expected, which surprised me. Many people gave me warm reviews that became a source of strength for me, so I was happy each and every day while the drama was airing.â
âIâm grateful that I was able to start 2025 while receiving love from so many people,â she continued, âand I think Iâve gained the motivation that will be my driving force as I live out this new year. I wish all of you lots of good fortune in the new year.â
Choo Young Woo commented, âWhile preparing for this drama, I went through many experiences that I will remember for a long time. Thanks to the admirable character of Seung Hwi, I think I was able to receive lots of interest.â
He went on, âI would like to once again thank the director for trusting me with this role, and because everyone [who worked on the drama] spent so much time pondering it and poured so much love into it, Iâm truly happy that the drama ended up receiving lots of love from many people. I hope the drama will remain in viewersâ hearts as a warm memory.â
Kim Jae Won humbly remarked, âEach and every moment that I lived as Do Gyeom was a precious time that allowed me to grow as an actor.â
âI hope that the new year is full of only health and happiness for you all,â he continued, âand no matter what ups and downs come your way, I hope you will overcome them wisely, just like Ok Tae Young, Cheon Seung Hwi, Sung Do Gyeom, and Cha Mi Ryeong of the Sung family.â
Finally, Yeonwoo said, âBecause âThe Tale of Lady Okâ was my first historical drama, I was very nervous and anxious, but thanks to all of my co-stars, I learned a lot and had a really great experience, so I think Iâll remember it for a long time.â
She concluded, âIt was truly an honor to be part of such a great drama, and Iâm truly grateful to all of the viewers who gave us love.â
The final episode of âThe Tale of Lady Okâ will air on January 26 at 10:30 p.m. KST.
In the meantime, watch Lim Ji Yeon in âLies Hidden in My Gardenâ on Viki below:
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/39929c-lies-hidden-in-my-garden]
Or check out Choo Young Wooâs drama âOasisâ below!
[viki-watchnow url=https://www.viki.com/tv/39598c-oasis]
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