SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Appearing in San Juan, the president declined to thank Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who has put pressure on the administration in recent days to speed up recovery efforts. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Trump's Disgusting, Tone Deaf, Paper-Towel-Throwing Trip to Puerto Rico
President suggests crisis not a "real catastrophe" and jabs islanders for costing government "a lot of money"
Oct 03, 2017
Two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump alarmed critics during his long-awaited trip to the U.S. territory on Tuesday, during which he appeared eager to continue his one-sided feud with the mayor of San Juan, openly complained about the cost of the disaster, and took on a self-congratulatory tone regarding the recovery--one that was at odds with the ongoing reports of devastation throughout the island.
While suggesting that the crisis in Puerto Rico was somehow not a "real catastrophe like Katrina," Trump also said, "I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack because we've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We've saved a lot of lives."
On social media, journalists and critics expressed shock regarding Trump's Puerto Rico trip. Some noted some of the day's more bizarre moments, including Trump jubilantly throwing paper towel rolls into a crowd and telling a hurricane victim to "have a good time."
While expressing gratitude to those who have been involved in the recovery, Trump mentioned Federal Emergency Management Agency head Brock Long, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, who last week called the Hurricane Maria recovery "a good news story," and Governor Ricardo Rossello, who has been complimentary to the Trump administration since relief efforts began in the days after the storm. He declined to mention San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who has been largely responsible for drawing much of the world's attention to the disaster in recent days.
While nearly half of her island's 3.4 million people were without clean drinking water and almost the entire island was without power last week, Cruz spoke out against Duke's overly sunny assessment of the situation, saying she was "mad as hell" about the administration's slow response and demanding that the White House send an official to oversee the distribution of supplies.
Though she said nothing about Trump specifically, the president took Cruz's comments personally and was apparently unmoved when Cruz reportedly told him, "It's not about politics" before his press conference Tuesday. Upon singling out Rossello, he thanked the governor for not "playing politics."
On the subject of lives saved, Trump turned to Rossello and asked, "What is your death count as of this moment?" and marveled that the official number of lives lost in Puerto Rico is 16 as of now.
The count of 16 has not been updated in nearly a week, and officials say the death toll is likely to go up; because of the severity of the disaster, fuel shortages, and roads that haven't been cleared, as of Saturday there were still towns that FEMA has not yet reached.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump alarmed critics during his long-awaited trip to the U.S. territory on Tuesday, during which he appeared eager to continue his one-sided feud with the mayor of San Juan, openly complained about the cost of the disaster, and took on a self-congratulatory tone regarding the recovery--one that was at odds with the ongoing reports of devastation throughout the island.
While suggesting that the crisis in Puerto Rico was somehow not a "real catastrophe like Katrina," Trump also said, "I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack because we've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We've saved a lot of lives."
On social media, journalists and critics expressed shock regarding Trump's Puerto Rico trip. Some noted some of the day's more bizarre moments, including Trump jubilantly throwing paper towel rolls into a crowd and telling a hurricane victim to "have a good time."
While expressing gratitude to those who have been involved in the recovery, Trump mentioned Federal Emergency Management Agency head Brock Long, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, who last week called the Hurricane Maria recovery "a good news story," and Governor Ricardo Rossello, who has been complimentary to the Trump administration since relief efforts began in the days after the storm. He declined to mention San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who has been largely responsible for drawing much of the world's attention to the disaster in recent days.
While nearly half of her island's 3.4 million people were without clean drinking water and almost the entire island was without power last week, Cruz spoke out against Duke's overly sunny assessment of the situation, saying she was "mad as hell" about the administration's slow response and demanding that the White House send an official to oversee the distribution of supplies.
Though she said nothing about Trump specifically, the president took Cruz's comments personally and was apparently unmoved when Cruz reportedly told him, "It's not about politics" before his press conference Tuesday. Upon singling out Rossello, he thanked the governor for not "playing politics."
On the subject of lives saved, Trump turned to Rossello and asked, "What is your death count as of this moment?" and marveled that the official number of lives lost in Puerto Rico is 16 as of now.
The count of 16 has not been updated in nearly a week, and officials say the death toll is likely to go up; because of the severity of the disaster, fuel shortages, and roads that haven't been cleared, as of Saturday there were still towns that FEMA has not yet reached.
Two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump alarmed critics during his long-awaited trip to the U.S. territory on Tuesday, during which he appeared eager to continue his one-sided feud with the mayor of San Juan, openly complained about the cost of the disaster, and took on a self-congratulatory tone regarding the recovery--one that was at odds with the ongoing reports of devastation throughout the island.
While suggesting that the crisis in Puerto Rico was somehow not a "real catastrophe like Katrina," Trump also said, "I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack because we've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We've saved a lot of lives."
On social media, journalists and critics expressed shock regarding Trump's Puerto Rico trip. Some noted some of the day's more bizarre moments, including Trump jubilantly throwing paper towel rolls into a crowd and telling a hurricane victim to "have a good time."
While expressing gratitude to those who have been involved in the recovery, Trump mentioned Federal Emergency Management Agency head Brock Long, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, who last week called the Hurricane Maria recovery "a good news story," and Governor Ricardo Rossello, who has been complimentary to the Trump administration since relief efforts began in the days after the storm. He declined to mention San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who has been largely responsible for drawing much of the world's attention to the disaster in recent days.
While nearly half of her island's 3.4 million people were without clean drinking water and almost the entire island was without power last week, Cruz spoke out against Duke's overly sunny assessment of the situation, saying she was "mad as hell" about the administration's slow response and demanding that the White House send an official to oversee the distribution of supplies.
Though she said nothing about Trump specifically, the president took Cruz's comments personally and was apparently unmoved when Cruz reportedly told him, "It's not about politics" before his press conference Tuesday. Upon singling out Rossello, he thanked the governor for not "playing politics."
On the subject of lives saved, Trump turned to Rossello and asked, "What is your death count as of this moment?" and marveled that the official number of lives lost in Puerto Rico is 16 as of now.
The count of 16 has not been updated in nearly a week, and officials say the death toll is likely to go up; because of the severity of the disaster, fuel shortages, and roads that haven't been cleared, as of Saturday there were still towns that FEMA has not yet reached.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy