TRUMP TO PUERTO RICO: ‘ YOU’VE THROWN OUR BUDGET A LITTLE OUT OF WHACK’
But his jokes draw ire from residents and lawmakers
While President Trump toured Puerto Rico on Tuesday to praise his team’s response to Hurricane Maria, some of his critics heard other things — including a joke about the expense of the effort and praise for the fact that only 16 people have died since the storm.
“Sixteen people certified — 16 people vs. in the thousands,” Trump said during a briefing with Puerto Rican officials; he added that while “every death is a horror,” the devastation has not been “a real catastrophe” on the same scale of Hurricane Katrina, which killed some 1,800 people in New Orleans in 2005.
Late Tuesday, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said 34 people were killed during the storm.
Citing the logistical and financial challenges of the federal disaster response on the island, Trump quipped: “Now I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack, but you’re throwing our budget a little out of whack because we’ve spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico. And that’s fine; we saved a lot of lives.”
Trump’s comments did not go over well with some lawmakers.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D- N. Y., hit Trump for having “the gall to complain about Puerto Rico” while he has proposed “tax cuts for billionaires.”
Schumer said, “Stop blaming Puerto Rico for the storm that devastated their shores, and roll up your sleeves and get the recovery on track.”
Trump got a frosty reception from some. On Sunday, Trump described critics of his government’s response to the disaster “politically motivated ingrates.” Some residents took issue with Trump. “People need water, gasoline and tarps, without the politics,” resident Liza Minnelli Pacheco told USA TODAY.
As Trump motorcaded around the island, he passed one woman who held up a sign, “You are a bad hombre.”
At a church, Trump handed out bags of “Arroz Rico” and shot rolls of paper towels into the crowd.