When he was president, Trump refused to approve disaster for the people of California until it was proven to him that Republicans in the state were impacted by wildfires.

A review of Trumpâs record by POLITICOâs E&E News and interviews with two former Trump White House officials show that the former president was flagrantly partisan at times in response to disasters and on at least three occasions hesitated to give disaster aid to areas he considered politically hostile or ordered special treatment for pro-Trump states.

Mark Harvey, who was Trumpâs senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council staff, told E&E News on Wednesday that Trump initially refused to approve disaster aid for California after deadly wildfires in 2018 because of the stateâs Democratic leanings.

But Harvey said Trump changed his mind after Harvey pulled voting results to show him that heavily damaged Orange County, California, had more Trump supporters than the entire state of Iowa, Harvey said.

Trump also withheld aid from Puerto Rico after the US territory was hit by a deadly storm. Trump has been trying to use the Biden response to Hurricane Helene, which has drawn bipartisan praise as an issue to divide and anger voters in North Carolina and Georgia.

One of the most basic duties of the presidency is to protect and assist all Americans no matter who they voted for.

By trying to attack Biden and Harris over Helene, Trump has revealed more about himself and his lack of fitness for office than about VP Kamala Harris.

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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelorâs Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards andÂ Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association