Make Puerto Rico Great Again Make Puerto Rico Great Again Donald Trump

President Trump greets members of the U.South Air Force at the Muñiz Air National Baby-sit Base of operations in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Trump visited the island on Tuesday in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide explanation

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

President Trump greets members of the U.S Air Force at the Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, Puerto Rico. Trump visited the island on Tuesday in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Updated at 8:24 p.m. ET

President Trump traveled Tuesday to devastated Puerto Rico post-obit his administration'due south maligned response to Hurricane Maria. But every bit soon as he stepped off the plane, the president was in a self-congratulatory mood.

In a hurricane conference Trump praised his Cabinet, contrasted the devastation with "a real catastrophe like [Hurricane] Katrina," threw in an bated nearly how much Puerto Rico recovery was costing the U.S., and afterwards was filmed throwing newspaper towels into a crowd as role of efforts to distribute supplies.

"At present I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but yous've thrown our budget a little out of whack," Trump said jokingly, "considering nosotros've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico, and that's fine. We've saved a lot of lives."

Referring to the tempest'south death price, previously 16 lives lost, Trump seemed to be saying that at least it hadn't been as bad as past hurricanes.

"Every death is a horror, only if you lot look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you lot await at the tremendous, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here, with really a storm that was just totally overpowering, nobody's ever seen anything like this," Trump said.

"What is your expiry count as of this moment?" he asked local officials. "17? 16 people certified, 16 people versus in the thousands."

The office of the governor said later Tuesday night that the death toll had risen to 34.

On Fri, Acting Homeland Security Elaine Duke told reporters that the death toll had been relatively depression and that the response had been "a good-news story in terms of our ability to reach people." Merely that number is all but certain to climb.

President Trump and showtime lady Melania Trump visit residents affected by Hurricane Maria in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide explanation

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Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Before long after stepping off Air Force One in San Juan, Trump, his Cabinet officials who traveled with him and White Business firm aides met with Puerto Rican officials in a hangar at Muñiz Air National Guard Base.

"The governor is not even from my party and he was tremendously supportive," Trump said of Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. "Right from the beginning this governor did not play politics."

The comments appeared to exist a dig at San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who has criticized Trump's response to the tempest. Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico every bit a Category four tempest, leaving almost of the island without power, clean drinking water or access to nutrient and supplies.

Cruz attended the president's briefing on Tuesday, and soon after Trump stepped off Air Force I they did shake hands. Merely Cruz sat with her hands clasped and didn't clap as Trump praised FEMA Director Brock Long, Duke, White House Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert, Delegate Jenniffer González-Colón and others.

In an interview subsequently Tuesday afternoon with CNN, Cruz said that an off-camera meeting with White House officials was productive, but she criticized some of the comments the president made during his visit, especially what appeared to be a joke about the costs the isle'due south devastation is adding to the U.Due south. deficit.

"It doesn't make you feel adept," said Cruz. "Information technology's about respect for Puerto Rico."

"Sometimes his style of communication gets in the way," she also said, adding, "Information technology goes to prove a lack of sensibility."

Trump and outset lady Melania Trump did get to interact directly with some of the victims of Hurricane Maria. While on a walking tour in Guaynabo, they met members of a family who told them how they had been without ability since Hurricane Irma, fifty-fifty before the more devastating Maria struck the island.

"You always come back," the president told them.

"Puerto Rico is Puerto Rico," ane of the men in the family responded.

Another family unit talked about how information technology had been trapped in its home during the tempest.

"You know who helped them? God helped them," Trump said. "That's right."

When asked by reporters virtually the scenes he had surveyed, Trump said, "Well, what I see is an incredible job done by FEMA, the Air Force and the Navy."

Trump and local officials also stopped by a church that had been prepped for his arrival with signs that read "Proud Americans," "Let'due south Brand Puerto Rico Keen Again" and "God bless You Mr. President."

"There'due south a lot of dearest in this room," the president said, "a lot of love."

Supplies similar rice and newspaper towels were laid out for Trump and others to distribute to the oversupply. At ane point, the president took the rolls of newspaper towels and began throwing them into the crowd similar basketballs.

Even before he arrived in Puerto Rico, Trump touted his administration's response.

"I think it'due south now acknowledged what a great job we've done, and people are looking at that," he said equally he was departing the White House on Tuesday. "And in Texas and in Florida, we get an A-plus. And I'll tell yous what, I think we've washed just equally good in Puerto Rico, and information technology'south actually a much tougher situation. Merely now the roads are cleared, communications is starting to come back. We need their truck drivers to offset driving trucks."

For days, Trump has been under intense criticism for dull efforts to get assist to the island, which he explained last Friday was in part because it was "surrounded by water."

Trump has also alluded to the territory'south "broken infrastructure & massive debt" every bit another reason its recovery has been slower than in Florida and Texas, which were also battered recently by hurricanes.

Trump did encounter some of his critics during the trip, too. Every bit his motorcade passed a highway with downed trees and other damage, some residents were lined up taking photos. Meanwhile, 1 woman held up a sign that read, "You are a bad hombre."

Upon his render to the White House later Tuesday evening, Trump said he hadn't heard any criticism while on the basis.

"They were then thankful for what nosotros take done. I think it has been a smashing day," the president said. "We just heard thank yous from the people of Puerto Rico. They are bully people, and it was really something that I enjoyed very much."

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Source: https://www.npr.org/2017/10/03/555357192/trump-touts-relief-efforts-in-puerto-rico-we-ve-saved-a-lot-of-lives

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