Donald and Melania Trump will stop in North Carolina, California and Nevada during the first trip of his second term. Follow along for live updates.

As wildfires raged across Los Angeles, killing at least 24 people and destroying thousands of structures, some people sought to contrast emergency response to the fires to disaster response that followed deadly hurricanes that battered the southeastern U.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to disaster-hit western North Carolina and Los Angeles on Friday in a trip that could inflame partisan tensions over recovery efforts.

The visit, coming at the end of Trump's first week back in office, took place as he continued to denounce the state emergency response being led by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom - one of Trump's fiercest critics - and worries the president might withhold aid over policies in the liberal state.

Trump says he’ll have Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley working on hurricane relief matters instead of using the Federal Emergency Management Agency

More than 50,000 are under evacuation orders or warnings as a new wind-driven wildfire spreads in the mountains north of Los Angeles

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina - US President Donald Trump visited hurricane-hit western North Carolina on Jan 24 and was travelling later to wildfire-struck Los Angeles, promising help while stoking partisan tensions with Democratic rivals over recovery efforts.

As the cleanup phase of recovery begins after the devastating fires in L.A. County, displaced residents grapple with new uncertainty surrounding the cost and timeline for rebuilding.

Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted the second week of January and roared across the Los Angeles area.

Southern California residents are facing new threats after rain fell over neighborhoods most impacted by recent wildfires.Much-needed rain fell in the Los Angeles area on Saturday and showers are expected to continue on Sunday,