‘Their political system is broken and their politicians are either Incompetent or Corrupt…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) San Juan, Puerto Rico Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz claimed President Donald Trump is putting “the debt before the dead” in his response to the coronavirus pandemic, comparing it to his administration’s response following Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
“The President’s botched efforts after Hurricanes Irma and Maria cost the lives of approximately 3,000 Puerto Ricans,” Cruz tweeted Tuesday night.
The President’s botched efforts after Hurricanes Irma and Maria cost the lives of approximately 3,000 Puerto Ricans. He then put the debt before the dead. He is doing it again with his botched efforts in handling the COVID crisis & again it will cost thousands of lives.
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) March 25, 2020
Trump has suggested in the past that the death toll from Hurricanes Irma and Maria had been inflated.
It’s not clear how many Puerto Ricans died because of the hurricanes, but Trump has insisted that the estimate of 3,000 deaths was “done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico.”
Cruz has been a frequent critic of Trump, who was hesitant to send additional financial aid to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria due to the rampant corruption among the island’s officials.
Multiple reports later proved that Trump’s caution was well-founded. A handful of top officials were fired after a group of residents discovered a warehouse filled with unused hurricane supplies—supplies that could have aided the island’s struggling residents after a deadly earthquake earlier this year.
“There are thousands of people who made sacrifices to bring aid to the south and it’s unforgivable that resources have been kept in a warehouse,” said Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vazquez.
In response, Trump’s administration attached strict restrictions to Puerto Rico’s disaster aid and urged Puerto Rico to root out its corrupt leaders.
Puerto Rico is one of the most corrupt places on earth. Their political system is broken and their politicians are either Incompetent or Corrupt. Congress approved Billions of Dollars last time, more than anyplace else has ever gotten, and it is sent to Crooked Pols. No good!….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2019