The Big Orange Whopper, Liar-in Chief in the White House is at it again. Yesterday, Puerto Rico was his topic of ‘lie of the day.’
This is a short post — since news about Puerto Rico tends to get swept away in the midst of other Trump madness, I’d like to see it get a little attention from folks who really do care.
Trump boasts he's taken better care of Puerto Rico than 'any living human being'
President Donald Trump on Thursday proclaimed that no other “living human being” has cared for Puerto Rico better than he has.
“I’ve taken better care of Puerto Rico than any man ever,” the president said on the White House lawn before departing for a rally in Michigan
...
Trump on Thursday blamed the U.S. territory’s governor and the mayor of San Juan for slowing the U.S. territory’s recovery from Hurricane Maria.
“They don’t know how to spend money, and they are not spending it wisely,” he said.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has fired a series of criticisms at Trump in recent days, slamming the president for his opposition to increased aid. Earlier Thursday, CNN aired an interview with Rosselló, who said he would not sit back and allow Trump to degrade the island.
“If the bully gets close, I’ll punch the bully in the mouth,” Rosselló said.
The president has pledged not to support more disaster aid for Puerto Rico. He initially opposed the $600 million in nutritional assistance for the island in an aid bill but agreed to go along with it to get the overall measure passed, Republican aides said.
Trump claimed Thursday that he has a “great relationship” with the people of Puerto Rico, adding that he’s giving residents of the island “more money that they’ve ever gotten.”
I guess Trump doesn’t bother to read polls. Great tweet from Toronto Star’s Daniel Dale:
He pulls imaginary numbers out of a hat. (I can’t say where I really think he pulls them from).
Let’s look at the reality:
Puerto Rico received less hurricane aid than Florida and Texas after major storms
Puerto Rico received less aid from the federal government after Hurricane María than Florida and Texas did after Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, according to a new study published this week…
- While federal lawmakers approved $15.25 billion for Texas and Florida in disaster aid grants in September 2017, Puerto Rico was only offered $4.9 billion in the form of a loan. FEMA and the Treasury Department decided not to give Puerto Rico this disaster loan because its cash balance was too high. A bill finally signed by Trump in February 2018 – five months after María – gave Puerto Rico money on the condition that the island establish a 12-month and 24-month recovery plan endorsed by the PROMESA oversight board. Texas and Florida got funds without these conditions. Trump, though, has indicated he wants to use the nearly $14 billion allocated in disaster relief money for Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and California to pay for a border wall.
I’m not going to hold my breath and wait for the press to call him out on his $91 billion dollar whopper.
‘Caring for Puerto Rico.’
Sure.
He’s killing the island with his kindness.
