Exclusive – JD Vance has “fulfilled his promise” to American voters as he makes his first trip as vice president to Damascus, Virginia, on Monday to visit areas hit by Hurricane Helene in late September.
It will be Vance’s second trip to Damascus Since the hurricane swept across the Southeast on September 27, destroying parts of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida and leaving more than 200 people dead.
“Vice President Vance visited with residents of Damascus in October after the city was devastated by Hurricane Helene,” a spokesperson for the vice president told Fox News Digital. “He promised to be back and now he is making good on his promise. The first week of this administration has made it clear that President Trump and Vice President Vance are keeping their word.”
Vance’s trip comes just days after President Donald Trump, Melania Trump and other politicians visited Asheville, Fletcher and Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Jan. 24, marking the now-president’s second trip to those areas since September .
Vice President-Elect JD Vance, left, takes oath as his wife Usha Vance looks on during the 60th presidential inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, Monday, January 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool – photo via AP)
Trump spoke in all three cities, but allowed a group of locals who lost everything in Helene to share their own personal stories during his stop in Swannanoa. Some locals have taken issue with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) handling of the disaster, saying it has too much bureaucracy for those who need immediate help to get the help they need, whether it be housing, money or both.
“I will also sign an executive order to begin the process of fundamental reform and FEMA revisionor maybe get rid of FEMA,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina on Friday morning.” I think FEMA is honestly not good. “
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to a neighborhood hit by Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on January 24, 2025. .
Trump also promised that his administration would step in and help North Carolina quickly repair the damage, doing “a good job” for the state.
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“We’re going to fix it, and we’re going to fix it as quickly as possible,” Trump said. “It’s a tremendous amount of damage. FEMA has really let us down. Let the country down. And I don’t know if that’s Biden’s fault or whose fault it is, but we’re dealing with it. Good job. “
Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
