Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., told Newsmax on Thursday that there has been radio silence from President Joe Biden as the communities in western North Carolina continue to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
"I've not spoken with him directly," Edwards said during an appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "Admittedly, the White House has called me a couple of times. They've been responsive to what I've asked so far, but I've not heard from him."
When asked how many times he's spoken with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running as the Democrat nominee for president, Edwards said, "Zero."
"Not heard from her at all," he said.
Edwards said that western North Carolina is beginning to "see the relief or the assistance from FEMA and from various folks around the country," adding that the relief effort got off to "a very slow start … but there are some signs of activity now."
The Republican congressman, whose district includes Asheville, one of the hardest-hit areas, said that he thinks "it's important that elected leaders see the devastation firsthand."
"I don't know that you're going to see it by flying overhead," he said, referring to Biden's aerial tour of Asheville on Wednesday. "I was given the opportunity to participate on that flight yesterday. I turned it down.
"I was wading in the water and through debris and talking to victims firsthand. That's the only way that you get a real perspective on this. And in terms of offering anybody any comfort, I don't see that unless they're bringing pallets of water with them."
Conversely, Edwards said he has heard from former President Donald Trump's team and said the GOP presidential nominee is "extremely concerned about what's happening here."
"I feel confident that we would not have seen the delay in response from the federal government, were Donald Trump in charge," he said.
Trump was on the ground in Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday to deliver remarks and help hand out supplies to the devastated area, including water and fuel.
"I was also going to stop into North Carolina, which has really been hit hard," the former president wrote on Truth Social. "I have a lot of supplies ready for them, but access and communication is now restricted, and we want to make sure that Local Emergency Management is able to focus on helping the people most affected, and not being concerned with me."
He added that he would "be there shortly."
Edwards said that although the area will "certainly be in search and recovery mode for months," he is "so proud of the people here in the mountains, and how they've come together as neighbors, churches, [and] neighborhoods."
"Organizations are deploying, coming together, helping neighbors, helping feed folks that can't get to a grocery store or don't have anything in their cabinets," he said. "They're helping make sure folks have got water. They're doing welfare checks. The folks here are really coming together."
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