Trump Responds To San Juan Mayor’s Attacks On Twitter

Last night, the Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, made the following comments on CNN.

President Trump started the weekend off with a blistering rebuke:

The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

…Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

…want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

The military and first responders, despite no electric, roads, phones etc., have done an amazing job. Puerto Rico was totally destroyed.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

Fake News CNN and NBC are going out of their way to disparage our great First Responders as a way to “get Trump.” Not fair to FR or effort!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

I will be going to Puerto Rico on Tuesday with Melania. Will hopefully be able to stop at the U.S. Virgin Islands (people working hard).

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

The Fake News Networks are working overtime in Puerto Rico doing their best to take the spirit away from our soldiers and first R’s. Shame!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

So, while this is certainly aggressive, I don’t think it’s quite what the media is making it out to be.

Every report I’ve read basically says that he’s calling Puerto Ricans a bunch of lazy freeloaders because of the “…want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort” comment. I see this as a rebuke of the politicians, not the Puerto Rican people themselves.

While this may not be the “SENSITIVE” time to bring up poor Puerto Rican leadership – he’s not wrong. How else would this very small island have accrued the crippling debt its in?

I have also seen countless reports of First Responders working tirelessly to help Puerto Rico. I believe Trump is right to defend them. Their efforts should not be swept under the rug in another attempt to disparage Trump. This isn’t about Trump, really.

According to this

President Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday to blast San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, calling her ‘nasty’ and also said the American citizens in Puerto Rico expect handouts.

 

Trump tweeted: ‘The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.’

 

‘Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help.’

Cruz responded to Trump’s comments this morning telling Joy Reid on MSNBC: ‘Actually, I was asking for help. I wasn’t saying anything nasty about the president, but don’t take my word for it.

 

‘General Buchanan, a three-star general, has said as one of the first comments that he has made about the Puerto Rico situation, that he doesn’t have enough troops and he doesn’t have enough equipment of what he needs to get the situation under control.’

 

Today he criticized the efforts of the Puerto Rican people and Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. On Friday, she pleaded with the federal government to send more resources to Puerto Rico.

 

Cruz said in several TV interviews that the lack of an efficient response by the US military and government was going to cost people’s lives.

 

Trump will visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday with the First Lady. He also said he would try to stop by the US Virgin Islands, saying people there are ‘working hard.’

 

He continued on his rant: ‘They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.’

Thoughts?