US leader defends efforts in Puerto Rico
US President Donald Trump arrived in Puerto Rico yesterday highlighting what he describes as the Government’s effective response to Hurricane Maria despite criticism of a sluggish effort.
Trump praised the federal response, saying “it’s now acknowledged what a great job we’ve done”.
He said at “a local level, they have to give us more help”.
Trump then tried an ill-con- sidered joke about the cost of recovery and rebuilding.
“I hate to tell you Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack,” he said. “But that’s fine.” The visit follows a weekend in which he pushed back against critics, including San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz.
Trump responded angrily on Twitter, deriding the “poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help”.
“They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort,” he said, scoffing at “politically motivated ingrates” who had criticised the federal work.
Cruz had accused the administration of “killing us with the inefficiency” and begged the President to “make sure somebody is in charge that is up to the task of saving lives”.
Trump said she had “come back a long way” in her criticism, noting the recent moderation in her remarks.
“The first responders, the military, FEMA, they have done an incredible job in Puerto Rico. And whether it’s her or anybody else, they’re all starting to say it,” he said.
Even before the storm hit on September 20, Puerto Rico was in dire condition because of a decade-long recession that had left its infrastructure, including the island’s power lines, in a sorry state.