Almost a week after Hurricane Maria destroyed the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, President Trump paused from his weekend NFL obsession to share his thoughts about the 3.4 million American citizens who are now living with no power, no real communication, limited access to food and water, eight-hour lines to get gasoline, a collapsed infrastructure, and horrific stories of desperation and survival.
The federal government had already responded with relief packages for hurricanes Harvey (Texas) and Irma (Florida). But Trump didn’t sympathize with Puerto Ricans on Monday night. Instead, on Twitter he blamed the island for its problems, as if residents allowed a Category 4 hurricane to ravage their homes to spite him. Amid the worst humanitarian crisis in modern Puerto Rico’s history, Trump reminded the world that the commonwealth still had a $115 billion debt that Wall Street will still need to collect.
No power? No food? No way to communicate with others?
Just pay up, Puerto Rico, because according to Trump, your U.S. citizenry might not get you the billions and billions of dollars you will need to rebuild an island that, officials say, was demolished so badly, it set Puerto Rico back nearly 20 to 30 years.
