President Biden announced on Monday that he will visit North Carolina on Wednesday after Hurricane Helene ravaged the state.
The president’s announcement comes after critics slammed him for a lack of leadership after the monster storm’s devastating impact on the southeastern portion of the country.
More than 120 people have been killed by Helene since the hurricane made landfall in Florida late Thursday before tearing a path of destruction through the interior Southeast.
The storm caused millions of power outages and billions in property damage as it smashed through the southern Appalachian Mountains and into the Tennessee Valley.
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While days have passed since the storm struck the region, Biden has not visited the area nor had plans to until now.
“On Wednesday, I’ll travel to North Carolina for a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center and to participate in an aerial tour of Asheville,” Biden said in a post on X. “I’ve ensured my travel will not disrupt the ongoing response. I plan to travel to Georgia and Florida as soon as possible.”
But the president’s announcement was followed by harsh criticism from the public, with one person writing, “Joe Biden’s visit is too little, too late.”
Another person wrote, “Don’t come to Florida we got hit ground zero. The governor is covering it,” referring to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Still, several people wrote that Biden is only visiting because former President Trump had already gone to areas damaged by Helene.
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President Biden speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sept. 29, 2024. (REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden )
Trump stopped in Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday where he was briefed on the devastation left by the storm, but he also assisted with relief distribution and delivered remarks.
“I’ve come to Valdosta with large semitrucks, many of them filled with relief aid. A tanker truck filled up with gasoline, a couple of big tanker trucks filled up with gasoline, which they can’t get now. And we’ll be working to distribute it throughout the day,” Trump said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for more information about the president’s visit to North Carolina this week.
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A van drifts in floodwaters near Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
During a press conference about the federal response to Hurricane Helene on Monday, Biden vowed to visit some of the most devastated areas.
At the end of the press conference, he got defensive when a reporter pressed him about who was in command over the weekend to direct hurricane response as he spent the weekend at his Delaware beach home.
The reporter yelled as the president walked out of the Roosevelt Room, “Mr. President, why weren’t you and Vice President Harris here in Washington commanding this this weekend?”
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Heavy rains from Hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage in Asheville, N.C. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
In response, Biden said he was commanding it, explaining he was on the phone for “at least two hours” on Sunday and the day before.
North Carolina and Georgia were among the hardest-hit states. They are also two of the seven key battleground states where razor-thin margins decided Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory over Trump and are expected to determine the outcome of the 2024 showdown between Harris, the Democrat nominee, and Trump.
At the start of his remarks during the press briefing earlier in the day, Biden assured that he and his team were “in constant contact with governors, mayors and local leaders” regarding Hurricane Helene.
The president noted that Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell was on the ground in North Carolina and would remain in the Asheville area.
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Biden also said he directed the Federal Communications Commission to help establish communications capability and the National Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Defense “to provide all the resources at its disposal to rescue and assist in clearing debris and delivering lifesaving supplies.”
So far, more than 3,600 personnel have been approved. Biden has also approved requests from the governors of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama for an emergency declaration.
Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
