Trump Keeps Praising Response to Puerto Rico Crisis, Blasts “Politically Motivated Ingrates”
President Trump woke up Sunday morning apparently still angry at all the criticism his administration has received for being slow to respond to the humanitarian crisis engulfing Puerto Rico (maybe he watched Saturday Night Live?). So he took to Twitter. Yet again.
On Saturday, the commander in chief sent a whopping 18 tweets about Puerto Rico but his defensive and angry day-long screed was apparently not enough to get his feelings across so he was at it again Sunday morning, blasting critics and praising his own administration.
“We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico,” Trump wrote on Sunday. The president added that besides “Fake News or politically motivated ingrates” everyone is starting to “recognize the amazing work that has been done.”
We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates,...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
...people are now starting to recognize the amazing work that has been done by FEMA and our great Military. All buildings now inspected.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
Trump also thanked the governor of Puerto Rico and “all of those who are working so closely with our first responders.”
...for safety. Thank you to the Governor of P.R. and to all of those who are working so closely with our First Responders. Fantastic job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 1, 2017
The praise for Puerto Rico’s governor continued a theme from Saturday when the president praised the work of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló shortly after criticizing the mayor of the island’s capital, San Juan. Trump said San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz had been “told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.” He described the mayor as one of the leaders in the U.S. territory who “want everything to be done for them.” The president also dedicated several tweets to pushing back against what he described as “fake news” about the response to Hurricane Maria, which killed at least 16 people in the U.S. territory.
The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
...want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
Despite the Fake News Media in conjunction with the Dems, an amazing job is being done in Puerto Rico. Great people!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
Despite the criticism, Yulín Cruz told ABC’s This Week that she would meet with Trump when he visits the island Tuesday if she is invited. “If he asks to meet with me, of course I will meet with him,” she said. For now, the mayor said, the focus needs to be on saving lives. “Let us not talk about the debt, let us not talk about the cost of reconstruction, let’s just talk about saving lives right now,” Cruz said. “You put the people above the debt. People’s lives and avoiding death above the debt. That’s just how it’s done.”
San Juan Mayor @CarmenYulinCruz tells me "of course" she’ll meet with Pres. Trump if he asks to meet with her. pic.twitter.com/QOtbrH1J96
— GeorgeStephanopoulos (@GStephanopoulos) October 1, 2017
Trump’s tweets led to lots of criticism from both politicians and celebrities who are more used to leaders putting aside partisan differences at times of crisis. Sen. Bernie Sanders, for example, called Trump’s tweets “unspeakable” in an interview Sunday. “You know, speaking from his fancy golf club, playing golf with his billionaire friends, attacking the mayor of San Juan who is struggling to bring electricity to the island, food to the island, water to the island, gas to the island. It is unspeakable. And I don’t know what world Trump is living in,” Sanders said on CNN’s State of the Union.
Sen. Bernie Sanders on the President’s tweets on Puerto Rico: “I don’t know what world Trump is living in” #CNNSOTU https://t.co/sjwyvscIXy
— CNN (@CNN) October 1, 2017