Donald Trump suggested he may “get rid of” the Fema emergency response agency on Friday, as he visited the disaster-ravaged states of California and North Carolina.

As he met with Democratic leaders in California and Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina, the US president hinted that he plans major changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency [Fema].

“Fema has been a very big disappointment. It’s very bureaucratic. And it’s very slow,” Mr Trump said.

He also suggested that US states, rather than the federal government, should be primarily responsible for handling natural disasters.

“I’d like to see the states take care of disasters,” he said in North Carolina.

“Let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen.”

Fema, which was founded in 1979 by Jimmy Carter, is a crisis agency which provides state and local governments with funding to rebuild their communities after disasters such as wildfires or hurricanes.

Mr Trump has previously criticised Fema, claiming that under the Biden administration it was sending funds to illegal immigrants instead of victims of Hurricane Helene. The Biden administration at the time described Mr Trump’s claims as “bold-faced lies.”

It came as the US Senate confirmed the appointment of Fox News TV personality Pete Hegseth as US defence secretary. Mr Hegseth was a controversial pick by Mr Trump, as he has faced allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse.

He also does not believe in germs, claiming in 2019 that he has not washed his hands for ten years.

The US president used Marine One to fly over the severely burned landscape of California during his trip, landing in Pacific Palisades, one of the most severely affected areas.