President Trump spoke to reporters Friday from the White House in Washington before he departed for Bedminster, New Jersey where he is expected to head to his Trump National Golf Club, telling them that Puerto Rico is going really well.
Trump, having apparently learned nothing so far, added that the loss of life is always tragic but it’s “been incredible, the results we’ve had with respect to loss of life. People can’t believe how successful that has been, relatively speaking.”
"That's been going, as you know, really well." — Trump on Puerto Rico response, a few mins ago.
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) September 29, 2017
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"We have done an incredible job considering we have absolutely nothing to work with. … We have done a really good job."
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 29, 2017
POTUS on Puerto Rico: "I think it's going really well, considering." Says it's a tough situation.
— Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) September 29, 2017
Trump: “Puerto Rico, as you know, has been going really well. It’s total devastation.†Very good stuff.
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) September 29, 2017
“The loss of life, it’s always tragic. But it’s been incredible. The results that we’ve had with respect to loss of life. People can’t believe how successful that has been, relatively speaking,” the President said.
"The loss of life, it's always tragic. But it's been incredible. The results that we've had with respect to loss of life." pic.twitter.com/S9ffJJqKdj
— Salvador Hernandez (@SalHernandez) September 29, 2017
The most powerful storm to hit Puerto Rico in nearly 90 years killed at least 16 people on the island and more than 30 across the Caribbean, this is not incredible with respect to loss of life, even “relatively speaking.”
Friday was the island’s 10th day without power and it was still hard to obtain clean water and fuel according to Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of the capital of Puerto Rico. She slammed the Trump administration’s claim that Puerto Rico is a “good news story” regarding needed aid reaching the island by saying, “Dammit, this is not a good news story. This is a life or death story.”
“Damn it, this is not a good news story,” Carmen Yulin Cruz told CNN angrily on Friday. “This is a ‘people-are-dying story.’ This is a life-or-death story.”
“I know it is really a good news story in terms of our ability to reach people and the limited number of deaths that have taken place in such a devastating hurricane,” acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said on Thursday.
I’d call this tone deaf, except I’m not sure Trump even paid attention during previous disasters to loss of life of other people. He found a way to use 9/11 to benefit himself financially. His attention always seems focused on his own wallet, not the suffering of other people. Perhaps he really thinks, because he knows nothing about it, that he is managing this really well.
He is not. People are dying.
Or maybe Trump’s racism made it even easier for him to turn his back on Puerto Rico, delaying help they desperately needed.
Either way, Trump’s comments are those of the drunken uncle at Christmas, not a President of the United States. He makes literally no sense. He is on par with Sarah Palin, only he carries it better because he has more money to polish the turd.
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