'I'm over it': Tornado-ravaged red state residents hit out at 'America first'

Earlier this year, almost 20 tornadoes rampaged across several Mississippi towns, killing seven people and damaging hundreds of homes. Residents are still waiting for aid from President Donald Trump's administration months later.

PBS NewsHour recently reported that even in the deep-red Southern state where Trump handily won in all three of his presidential campaigns, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has yet to send any aid from Washington. According to PBS, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) applied for a federal disaster declaration from the Trump administration on April 1 for the storms that hit in mid-March, though he has yet to get a response. One particularly hard-hit area was Tylertown, which is the Walthall County seat in the southern part of the state.

"I know President Trump said that 'America First, we're gonna help our American folks first,' but we haven't seen the federal folks down here," Tylertown, Mississippi resident Bobby McGinnis told PBS.

“I don’t know what you got to do or what you got to have to be able to be declared for a federal disaster area because this is pretty bad,” Tylertown resident Brian Lowery said. “We can’t help you because, whatever, we’re waiting on a letter; we’re waiting on somebody to sign his name. You know, all that. I’m just over it.”

The pending disaster request from Mississippi comes at the same time FEMA has underwent significant changes in its leadership. Former acting FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton was fired after he publicly disagreed with Trump on his desire to shut down the agency, and a recent internal presentation determined that FEMA was "not ready" to assist with the upcoming 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which officially begins on June 1.

Mississippi isn't the only ruby-red state that has been left in the lurch by the Trump administration. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) also applied for federal assistance after tornadoes tore through her state this spring, though FEMA denied both her request and her appeal of that rejection. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also used his allotted time for questioning during a recent Senate testimony by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to beg her to send aid to Missouri after the Show Me State experienced its own spate of deadly tornadoes.

Watch the PBS segment below, or by clicking this link.