We only heard thank-yous from the people of Puerto Rico. Trump said of his visit: 'I think it has been a great day. The family hadn't had power since Hurricane Irma hit weeks ago. The storm has wrecked the island's infrastructure and has resulted in the deaths of 34 people so far.Īfter meeting with responders, Trump walked on a storm-wrecked street in Guaynabo, viewing damaged homes and snapping photos with residents.Īfter meeting one family, Trump said: 'Great looking family and they said thank you Mister president.' Trump met with military, homeland, and local government officials to assess the response. One by one, the president shot a succession of rolls toward the back of the crowd, sending them aloft with his fingertips. Then, in a display that drew an immediate outcry online, the president began tossing rolls of paper towels into the crowd, basketball style. Katrina is believed to have resulted in 1,836 deaths.ĭemonstrators gathered outside the Convention Center in San Juan to protest Trump's visit to the United States unincorporated territoryīut it was Trump's visit to a local chapel that brought a vigorous response from a local crowd.įirst, the president handed out packages of 'Arroz Rico' branded rice to people who came to see him and collect supplies. Sixteen versus literally thousands of people.' You can be very proud of all of your people all of our people working together. Turning to Governor Ricardo Rossello, Trump asked: 'What is your death count as of this moment, 17? 'Sixteen people certified,' Trump said after confirming the answer. But if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look 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 has ever seen anything like this.'
He said at a news conference attended by The Washington Post: 'Every death is a horror. During the visit, Trump touted his administration's response to the humanitarian crisis and said that it was not 'a real catastrophe' like Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged the Gulf Coast and destroyed much of New Orleans in 2005. The visit lasted one hour less than had been originally planned. Rossello also said he believes the hurricane caused $90bn in damage across the island. The official death toll had risen to 34 from 16, Governor Ricardo Rossello announced at a news conference shortly after Trump's departure. Published: 04:03 BST, 4 October 2017 | Updated: 04:05 BST, 4 October 2017ĭonald and Melania Trump arrived back at the White House on Tuesday night after a whirlwind four-hour trip to assess the damage that Hurricane Maria wrought on Puerto Ricoĭonald and Melania Trump arrived back in Washington DC on Tuesday night after taking a four-hour trip to Puerto Rico to survey damage from Hurricane Maria. Earlier he blasted 'ingrates' on the island who 'want everything to be done for them'īy Geoff Earle, Deputy U.s.He pushed back on widespread criticism of his administration's response to the humanitarian crisis.Trump also said that the damage to Puerto Rico had 'thrown our budget a little out of whack'.He also said that he 'only heard thank-yous from the people of Puerto Rico', rather than criticism.During the visit, Trump favorably compared damage from Hurricane Maria to 'a real catastrophe like Katrina'.Rossello made the announcement shortly after the completion of Donald Trump's four-hour visit to the island.Puerto Rico Gov Ricardo Rossello announced that island's death toll from Hurricane Maria rose to 34 from 16.Death toll rises in Puerto Rico to 34, hours after Trump said the island should feel 'very proud' they haven't lost hundreds such as in 'a real catastrophe like Katrina'
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