Trump shifts on Puerto Rico, releases aid as election nears

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced the release Friday of $13 billion in assistance to repair years-old hurricane damage in Puerto Rico and pledged to restore its economy, setting aside his past bitter treatment of the island and its leaders as he courts Puerto Rican voters in the U.S., particularly in the crucial swing state of Florida.

Trump has spent much of his administration blasting Puerto Rican officials as corrupt and inept, and he has opposed spending to rebuild a power grid and other infrastructure that was wiped out by the Hurricane Maria in September 2017. He’s now portraying himself as the territory’s best friend.

“I’m the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico,“he said at a White House press conference, “no one even close.”

Residents of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of more than 3 million people, cannot vote in the general election. But there are more people of Puerto Rican descent on the mainland than on the island, and they could play a key role in the Nov. 3 vote.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has also sought support from Puerto Ricans, recently releasing a recovery plan for the territory and visiting central Florida. The region has one of the largest concentrations of people from the island on the U.S. mainland, including many who fled the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

The hurricane slammed into the island with winds of 155 mph, causing an estimated $100 billion in damage and killing nearly 3,000 people, according to an official death toll that Trump has said was exaggerated to make him look bad.

The grant announced Friday includes nearly $10 billion to rebuild an electrical grid that was wiped out by the storm and resulted in the longest blackout in U.S. history.

Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez, a New York Democrat, took note of the timing of Trump’s assistance so close to the election.

“The Trump Administration delayed, dragged its feet and resisted allocating these badly needed funds,” said Velazquez.