Asheville residents took to social media to share their outrage and the problems created during a visit by former President Donald Trump to the hurricane-ravaged North Carolina town.
The former president was in town Monday to tour the damage - and show off his fry cook pin he got for working at McDonald’s a day earlier. But it came with problems and headaches for residents as they are still trying to recover from the damage from Hurricane Helene that caused at least 95 deaths in the state.
The Trump visit caused traffic jams as freeways were cleared for his arrival and it left locals fuming. One Reddit user posted an image of the traffic jam saying it’s “what happens when a heartless narcissist is more interested in a photo op than a region’s needs.”
Another added that it was “objectively disrespectful of Trump to accept french fry pin in front of our destroyed homes and businesses.”
One account holder said they had friends stuck in “traffic while they were headed to a meeting to speak to insurance about their house that was destroyed.”
One road was “locked up” for at least three miles, according to one Reddit user, who said it was the “worst traffic I’ve ever seen here.”
Speaking in front of an area severely damaged by the hurricane, Trump said, “I’ve gone 52 days without a day off.”
“I didn’t have to be here. I could be on a beautiful beach,” he added.
X user PatAD wrote: “Asheville resident here to explain how pissed off the whole city is right now since Trump has closed down our busiest highways during the middle of a Monday. This is the last thing we needed.”
“I have now heard from multiple people who were unable to make it to doctor’s appointments, potable water distribution sites, or lost transportation options for the day because of this,” the user added. “It’s always about him, and him only. Hope traffic gets back open as he exits.”
During his visit, Trump decided to once again push debunked conspiracy theories about the federal response to the hurricane. The response by federal emergency responders has been hampered by armed harassment and widespread disinformation.
The former president added that he wasn’t worried that the hurricane would affect the election results in the key battleground state.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently put its work in the area on pause as it faced threats from a militia. Trump was asked if it was helpful to continue to spread disinformation about the agency when it already faces various threats.
Undeterred, Trump attacked FEMA once again, making the false claim that the response was harmed because the agency had spent its budget helping illegal immigrants.
North Carolina Republican Representative Chuck Edwards debunked that claim some weeks ago, On Monday, he stood behind the former president as he spoke in Swannanoa, just outside Asheville.
“Well, I think you have to let people know how they’re doing,” Trump told the press. “If they were doing a great job, I think we should say that, too, because I think they should be rewarded. ... If they’re doing a poor job, we’re supposed to not say it?”
Democratic North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told the former president not to “share lies or misinformation.”
During a briefing on Monday in Asheville, Cooper said that many of those who survived the storm lost everything, but they want help and the truth about the recovery effort.
“We should work together to give them both,” Cooper said. “Storm recovery cannot be partisan.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
