Trump goes on to detail the work that will be overseen to mitigate the damage wreaked by Hurricane Helene.

"North Carolina is going to come back bigger, better stronger than before," he says, adding that he hopes to disband Fema.

When pushed on this point, he accuses the organisation of being "very slow", "bureaucratic and expensive to run.

As we mentioned earlier, Trump repeatedly criticised Fema during Joe Biden's tenure as president, most recently in the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires.

Image source, Reuters

We can bring you some more comments from Donald Trump, who's stopped once again to speak to members of the press after arriving in North Carolina.

He says he'll be off to Los Angeles, which has been decimated by wildfires, later today but he wanted to stop in Asheville first. "We so appreciate the outpouring of love we've received here," he says.

He repeats his earlier comments about being disappointed in Fema, and praise of Michael Whatley.

As he introduces his wife Melania, he thanks North Carolina officials for their action cleaning up the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

"I never seen such damage done by water," he adds. "Fema was not doing their jobs."

Trump turns to California, where he is due to visit after North Carolina to assess the extend of the damage caused by recent wildfires.

He says he is going to do a "good job" there before repeating claims about the water being "turned off" for the area, suggesting water has been rerouted elsewhere for several years – claims the BBC has looked into previously.

Trump is then asked about whether funding for California is going to be impacted by its status as a so-called sanctuary state for immigration.

The president says he wants to see two things in Los Angeles, namely voter ID and "the water released".

"After that I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen," he says. "I just want voter ID as a start and I want the water to be released. And they're going to get a lot of help from the US."

Stepping away from the press pool, Trump goes to shake hands and have a quick word with some of his supporters while signing autographs.

Image source, Reuters

Still speaking to the press after landing in North Carolina, Trump turns his attention to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

"This is a crazy war, it should have never happened," he says.

Trump then reiterates that OPEC lowering the price of oil would end the war - a point he made during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday.

During his speech, Russia has been heavily reliant on its gas and oil exports to sustain funding for the conflict.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he was willing to meet with Trump to "discuss calmly" a range of issues, including the war.

Image source, Reuters

Trump has just disembarked Air Force 1 in Asheville, North Carolina, and is speaking to reporters there.

He says he is "going to fix" the damage Hurricane Helene left behind as quickly as possible, and blames Fema - the Federal Emergency Management Agency - for "really letting down" North Carolina.

He adds the aid for Asheville will go through Congress, rather than through the federal agency, saying he expects governors to look after state issues moving forward.

"I am disappointed in the Biden administration - the people of North Carolina have been mishandled," he says.

Trump adds there is a "massive amount of damage" in Asheville, saying he will work with North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley to "take care of the people of North Carolina".

Image source, Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is ready to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war and other global issues.

"We have always said, and I want to stress this once again, that we are ready for these negotiations on the Ukrainian issue," the Kremlin leader tells Russia's state-run media.

Praising Trump as "smart" and "pragmatic", Putin says it would be a good idea to "discuss calmly" a range of issues "based on today's realities".

Two days ago, Trump urged Russia to "stop this ridiculous war", otherwise threatening punishing "taxes, tariffs and sanctions" against Moscow.

And on Thursday, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "ready to make a deal" to end the war.

• As a reminder, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Image source, Getty Images

Trump is visiting Asheville, North Carolina, later today to tour the disaster areas still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which tore across the state and caused catastrophic flooding last September.

More than 100 people were killed in the storm and its aftermath in the state. It caused an estimated $60bn in damages.

The state was also at the centre of a political storm over recovery efforts.

Trump, who was running for president at the time, claimed Americans hit hard by Helene were losing out on emergency relief money from federal disaster response agency Fema because it had been spent on migrants.

The Biden White House rebutted the claims and accused Republicans of spreading "bold-faced lies" about funding for the disaster response.

Speaking on the White House lawn this morning, Trump said: "North Carolina has been treated very badly."

The new president suggested this week he was eyeing an overhaul of Fema.

Ben Hatton
Live reporter

It's been a busy week in the BBC's Washington DC bureau as we've followed Donald Trump's first week back in the White House for his second presidential term.

But there's still plenty more to come today. President Trump is making his first domestic trip since taking office on Monday.

He's visiting North Carolina, which was hard hit by storm Helene in September, and which Trump has claimed has not received enough federal government support. The president will then head to California after the devastating fires in Los Angeles – Trump has been critical of the Democratic-led local response.

Here in DC, Vice-President JD Vance is expected to address America's largest annual anti-abortion rally, with Trump also due to appear via videolink.

And the Senate is expected to hold its final vote on whether to confirm Pete Hegseth as Trump's new defence secretary. He has proved a highly controversial pick, but so far, only two Republicans have indicated their intention to vote against him - meaning he would have the votes for confirmation.

We'll be bringing you updates throughout, plus we'll continue to provide analysis on the changes Trump has sought to introduce so far. Stick with us.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Just a short while ago, Donald Trump emerged from the White House to board the helicopter that would take him to Air Force One and his trip to North Carolina and California.

He briefly - for about three minutes - came to address those of us waiting on the South Lawn, flanked by his wife Melania wearing dark sunglasses.

It was very difficult to hear properly amid the roar of the helicopter's engine, but Trump did say he was "very surprised" to hear that Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski would vote against confirming Pete Hegseth, his choice to head the Department of Defense.

"What it is, it is," he said. "He's a good man. I don't know. You never know with those things."

A member of the foreign press corps also asked Trump about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - who he said he likes "very much".

Image source, Reuters

The World Health Organization (WHO) is also feeling the effect of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency.

It says it will have to cut costs and review which health programmes to prioritise, according to news agencies Reuters and AFP.

This follows Trump’s announcement that he is withdrawing the US from the WHO. He accused the UN health agency of mishandling the Covid-19 pandemic and other global health crises.

"This announcement has made our financial situation more acute," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a memo dated 23 January.

The memo said the WHO plans to significantly reduce travel expenses and freeze recruitment, except in critical areas.

The US is set to leave the WHO in January 2026 after a one-year notice period. The US is the WHO’s largest financial contributor, providing about 18% of its funding.

It's been less than a week since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

As we reported yesterday, Trump gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Now, we’ve heard from the forum’s president, Børge Brende, who also moderated Trump’s session.

Speaking to the BBC’s Business Today programme, Brende describes the speech as a “very traditional Donald Trump speech”.

While Trump’s tariff threats have caused concern for many, Brende suggests looking at his first term.

“Even if there were questions about tariffs, global growth and growth in trade was there,” he says, adding, “we are in the negotiation phase” with Trump and looks forward to seeing what happens.

When asked if US allies can strike a reasonable deal with Trump, he says, “it is important to stay cool and calm”.

He also notes that the EU is the world’s largest market, and with the UK included, it offers “a lot of attractive things” for the US.

“So I’m cautiously optimistic that we will muddle through this.”

Abortion rights advocates have condemned Trump's decision to pardon 23 anti-abortion activists, including some convicted of blockading a reproductive health clinic and intimidating staff and patients.

"Donald Trump on the campaign trail tried to have it both ways - bragging about his role in overturning Roe v Wade while saying he wasn’t going to take action on abortion,” Ryan Stitzlein from America's organisation Reproductive Freedom for All was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

"We never believed that that was true, and this shows us that we were right," he added.

Trump signed pardons for the 23 anti-abortion activists on Thursday. "They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people. They should not have been prosecuted," the US president said.

Abortion rights became a key issue in the 2024 presidential race after the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling in 2022, ending nearly 50 years of federal protection for abortion.

Image source, Karoline Leavitt/X

More now from Karoline Leavitt, the White House spokesperson. In a post on X, external Leavitt says deportation flights of migrants have begun.

She adds that "President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences."

Two photos were included in the post of a row of detainees being loaded onto a large US military aircraft.

Authorities have not made public the identity of the detainees, and it is unclear where this particular group are headed.

On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order suspending the Refugee Admissions Program, saying the US "lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities".

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Good morning from the White House - where I arrived a short while ago to find the press area buzzing with activity ahead of Trump's departure.

As we reported earlier, Trump is planning to fly to hurricane-stricken Ashville, North Carolina before headed to Los Angeles, which has been fighting wildfires.

After that - at an unclear time - he'll head to Las Vegas.

For those of us here at the White House, the departure could potentially offer an opportunity to pose a few questions to the President.

Traditionally, the president's helicopter - Marine One - lands on the South Lawn of the White House.

When the president steps out and walks to it, reporters are usually there to shout questions. In the past, I saw Joe Biden, for example, stop to take one or two questions or deliver brief remarks on a particular topic.

This week, Donald Trump has already shown a willingness to answer reporter's questions on a variety of topics - and has done so on three separate occasions.

The White House press corps is hoping that this morning marks a fourth opportunity.

Image source, Getty Images

The mayor of Newark, New Jersey has criticised an immigration raid that he says was carried out in his city by federal authorities without permission.

Mayor Ras Baraka says that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a local worksite on Thursday, detaining undocumented residents as well as citizens

Newark is one of several “sanctuary” cities in the US that have come under fire by the new Trump administration, which has promised to deport millions of immigrants who are in the US illegally.

Baraka condemned Thursday's raid as unconstitutional, saying his city "will not stand idly while people are being unlawfully terrorised".

One of the detainees, he adds, was a US military veteran, who he says "suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned".

ICE has responded to his comments, saying they may encounter US citizens in their operations and may ask them for documentation.

On the same day, the White House said that 538 "illegal immigrant criminals" have been detained by the Trump administration, though it did not specify where they were arrested.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said they include "a suspected terrorist, four members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and several illegals convicted of sex crimes against minors."

She adds that hundreds have been deported.

Image source, Reuters

It's 13:00 in London and 08:00 in Washington DC. If you're just joining us now, here's a quick recap of the main developments:

• Donald Trump pardons 23 anti-abortion activists, and is expected later on Friday to address via videolink America's largest annual anti-abortion rally March for Life in Washington DC
• The US president is also due to visit disaster-hit states North Carolina and California on what will be his first domestic trips of his second term
• He earlier orders declassification of files relating to John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Luther King Jr - the most consequential assassinations in America's history
• On China, Trump also says he "would rather not" impose tariffs against America's global rival, despite previously threatening sweeping action
• And while warning of "trillions of dollars" in tariffs on foreign imports, Trump says Canada could become a US state to avoid them
• A US judge temporarily blocks Trump's order to change birthright citizenship - the first legal challenge since Monday's inauguration
• Trump also calls North Korean authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un a "smart guy", saying he plans to reach out to him

Stay with us for all the news updates and analysis from our correspondents in the US and across the globe, as well as the latest photos and videos, and eyewitness' accounts.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump has appeared glued to the Oval Office desk for much of this week, signing a succession of executive orders with his trademark black marker pen.

But later today he will make the first domestic trips of his second term.

He’s due to visit Asheville in North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene last year.

He’ll then fly west to visit a wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles, California, where firefighters are still battling a fast-moving blaze, and later - so far unclear whether this will be late on Friday or Saturday - to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bernd Debusmann
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Jessenia Anderson

Over the last few days, I've been reaching out to and speaking with some of the people I met over many months of the campaign trail last year.

Among them is Jessenia Anderson, a Puerto Rican Trump supporter who lives in Pennsylvania, about 240 miles (386 km) west of Philadelphia.

I first met her in Butler, Pennsylvania, when Trump returned for a rally at the scene where he was shot in the ear.

Anderson, an Army veteran, listed a number of reasons why she's been impressed with Trump's first week in office, from addressing border issues to mandating that federal buildings display only the American flag.

"It's refreshing to see strong and decisive leadership back in office, providing the direction our nation desperately needs," she says.

In particular, she's also happy with Trump's efforts to remove "DEI" measures from US institutions, including the military.

"I support initiatives that value qualifications over quotas," she tells me. "These actions embody the decisive, principled governance that has been missing for too long."

As we've reported, President Trump pardoned 23 anti-abortion activists when he signed an executive order on Thursday - less than a week since he returned to the White House.

The 2024 US presidential election was the first since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which protected the national right to an abortion.

A few days before the election the BBC spoke to women voters about abortion and gender - the issues that figured prominently during the campaigning.

Michelle Allen, a 38-year-old engineer from Arizona who is a registered Republican, said she was "concerned about women's rights and women's health care".

"I'm not a one-issue voter, but that is a huge one. I work in the medical sector and I was very personally affected by the overturn of Roe v Wade because I wasn't able to get access to a lot of the drugs I needed. Nobody was sure of what the legality was... even though they're used for other things."

Angela Richardson, a 27-year-old graduate student in Iowa backing the Democrats, said: "Obviously abortion is a huge issue that needs to be addressed.

"But I'm not necessarily happy, I should say, with either candidate's [Donald Trump and Kamala Harris] approaches in addressing the issue."

Abigail Burke, a 38-year-old independent voter in Florida, said: "Reproductive rights for women are huge for me as a woman.

"I really want to support a party that's going to support reproductive rights for women and not just women, but for everybody, because what's to say it's not going to spread elsewhere? It starts with women, usually, but it goes on and on."

• Women on how abortion shaped their vote

Image source, Reuters

The United Nations says the right to seek asylum is "universally recognised" after US President Donald Trump suspended all refugee admissions and halted the US asylum programme.

"All states are entitled to exercise their jurisdiction along their international borders, [but] they need to do so in line with their human rights obligations," UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani says, according to AFP news agency.

"The right to seek asylum is a universally recognised human right," she adds.

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order suspending the Refugee Admissions Program, saying the US "lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities".

The move has cancelled travel plans for over 1,600 approved Afghan refugees, while more than 3,000 others are waiting in Albania to be resettled.

The UNHCR said yesterday that "refugee resettlement is a life-saving measure", and they are "ready to continue our work with the new administration to find solutions for refugees".