President Joe Biden said Monday he plans to visit some of the areas devastated by flooding from Hurricane Helene on Wednesday but will try to "limit his disruption" of ongoing recovery efforts.
The President will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a briefing with the emergency operations center, then take an aerial tour of the damage in Asheville.
President Biden is aware of the relief efforts and will only visit areas where it's safe to be on the ground. The President met virtually with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday, and Cooper said Asheville's water system "is completely down, "so getting water to the city "is going to be critical."
"It's too much for me, in terms of interrupting access to help there ... to survey the damage other than through the air," the President said during an Oval Office press gaggle regarding security measures that could divert resources on the ground. "Then it's my plan to travel to Georgia and Florida as soon as possible after that."
In a statement Tuesday, the White House said President Biden would also stop in South Carolina and meet with first responders and officials in both states.
President Biden also angrily addressed lies from Donald Trump, who visited the Helene-ravaged town of Augusta, Georgia, despite being asked not to. While there, Trump claimed neither the President nor Vice President Kamala Harris had been in touch with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, even though Kemp had already told the press he'd spoken with President Biden.