JD Vance visiting Virginia on Monday in first official trip as vice president

EXCLUSIVE – JD Vance is “keeping his promise” to American voters as he makes his first trip as vice president to Damascus, Virginia, on Monday to visit the areas affected by Hurricane Helena in late September.

It will be Vance’s second trip to Damascus since the hurricane swept through the Southeast on September 27, destroying parts of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida and leaving more than 200 dead.

“Vice President Vance visited the residents of Damascus in October after the city was ravaged by Hurricane Helene,” a spokesperson for the vice president told Fox News Digital. “He promised to come back and now he’s making good on his promise. The first week of this administration has made it clear that President Trump and Vice President Vance keep their word.”

Vance’s trip comes just days after President Donald Trump, Melania Trump and other politicians visited Asheville, Fletcher and Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Jan. 24, marking the sitting president’s second trip to those areas since September.

HURRICANE SURVIVORS WHO MET TRUMP IN NORTH CAROLINA SHARE THE PRESIDENT’S WORDS THAT SUFFERED THEM

Vice President-elect JD Vance, left, is sworn in as his wife Usha Vance looks on during the 60th presidential inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump spoke in all three cities, but allowed a group of locals who lost everything in Helena to share their personal stories during his stop in Swannanoa. Some residents have complained about the way the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is handling the disaster, saying there is too much red tape for those in need to get the help they need, whether it’s housing, money or both.

“I will also sign an executive order to begin the process of thorough reform and FEMA overhaulor maybe get rid of FEMA,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina on Friday morning. “I mean, frankly, FEMA is no good.”

FEMA EXTENDS TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM FOR NORTH CAROLINANISTS DISPLACED DUE TO HURRICANE HELENA

US President Donald Trump speaks as he visits a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina on January 24, 2025. (MANDEL I/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump also promised that his administration would step in and help North Carolina quickly repair the damage, vowing to “do a good job” for the state.

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“We’re going to fix it, and we’re going to fix it as quickly as you can,” Trump said. “It’s a huge shame. FEMA really failed us. Failed the country. And I don’t know if it’s Biden’s fault or whose fault it is, but we’re going to take over. We’re going to do a good job.”

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.