Trump to western North Carolina: 'Drop dead'

Yahoo

4 days ago

An Asheville cyclist pedals toward a "WNC Strong" billboard moving past an enormous debris pile from Helene on his right. (Photo: Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)
Sometimes, it's hard to keep track of the wild policy swings that are the signatures of the second Trump administration. From tariffs and trade to Russia and Ukraine, it often takes just hours for supposedly strong policy stances to be contradicted or abandoned by the president or his aides.
And now, this chaotic pattern is directly impacting North Carolina.
Both last fall and this past January, Trump blasted the Biden administration's response to Hurricane Helene and made bold promises that he would rebuild storm-ravaged areas better than ever.
Unfortunately, that was then and this is now. This fact was made clear last week when the administration abruptly turned off the federal funding spigot by rejecting Gov. Josh Stein' request to continue providing matching funds for the state's Helene recovery appropriations.
The decision leaves the state on the hook for $200 million or more in additional expenses for debris cleanup and other emergency work.
The bottom line: Once again, the president has said one thing and done another, and sadly, North Carolinians will pay the price.
For NC Newsline, I'm Rob Schofield.