Trump Slammed for Praising ‘Unsung Success’ in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Death Toll Raised to 2,975
President Donald Trump today, while talking about the preparations underway for Hurricane Florence, once again praised the “unsung success” of the federal government response to the disaster in Puerto Rico last year.
He called it “one of the best jobs that’s ever been done with respect to what this is all about.”
Unsurprisingly, especially given how the death toll was updated recently to 2975 lives lost, the President was slammed by many on Twitter:
Trump simply does not get it. Thus his neglect towards Puerto Rico cost about 3,000 lives. Unfortunately, it seems he will never get it.
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) September 11, 2018
"I think Puerto Rico was incredibly successful," POTUS says when asked about the lessons of Hurricanes past. "I actually think it was one of the best jobs that's ever been done….Puerto Rico was an incredible unsung success."
Death toll was 2,975 https://t.co/BDB1M82gDY
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) September 11, 2018
Nearly 3,000 people died.
That is not a “success.” That is a tragedy and a disgrace. https://t.co/sqoFhZlVb3
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 11, 2018
"I think Puerto Rico was an incredible, unsung success. Texas we've been given A-pluses for. Florida we've been given A-pluses for" — Trump on his handling of 2017 hurricanes.
Reminder: Roughly 3,000 people died in Puerto Rico from storm and its aftermath.
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) September 11, 2018
Genuinely shocked (and, I suppose, I shouldn’t be at this point) that Trump called a hurricane that killed nearly 3,000 people an “unsung success"
— Sam Stein (@samstein) September 11, 2018
This is a BIG presidential lie. Trump just told reporters that his administration's Puerto Rico response to Hurricane Maria was an "unsung success." How can you say that when 2,975 people died, many of them because of the inadequate response from the U.S. government?
— JORGE RAMOS (@jorgeramosnews) September 11, 2018
The current death toll for Puerto Rico – revised upward from 64 initially – is now estimated at roughly the same as those on Sept. 11, 2001. https://t.co/JsptEzlubE
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) September 11, 2018
Does anyone on the actual isalnd of Puerto Rico agree? https://t.co/gHQtJHTmSr
— David Frum (@davidfrum) September 11, 2018
President Trump was just asked about Puerto Rico… he referred to the response to it as “incredibly successful.”
Let’s remember *3,000 people died* there, according to this most recent GWU study.
— Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) September 11, 2018
[photo via Getty Images]
