The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico asked President Trump on Tuesday to focus on the people in crisis in the U.S. territory instead of Puerto Rico’s debt.
After being criticized for obsessing over NFL protests instead of the devastation in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and Maria, Trump finally tweeted about the crisis Monday night, but seemingly blamed the U.S. territory’s debt and “broken infrastructure” for the widespread wreckage.
“Texas and Florida are doing great, but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure and massive debt, is in deep trouble,” he tweeted, saying the electrical grid was already in “terrible shape” and mentioning the “billions” the territory owes Wall Street.
Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017
…It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017
…owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities – and doing well. #FEMA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017
In response, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz asked Trump to treat hurricane relief and Puerto Rico’s debt as “two different issues.”
“With all due respect, these are two different topics,” she said on CNN’s “New Day” Tuesday morning. “One topic is the massive debt, which we know we have and it’s been dealt with. But you don’t put debt above people, you put people above debt. So, what we are asking for and what — what I’m asking for, and this is my comment, nobody else’s comment — is let’s deal with the two issues in a separate way.”
She said the U.S. has a “moral imperative” to help out the islands, which she described as being in “dire need”
“When somebody is in need, when somebody is in dire need, when somebody is in a life or death situation, there’s a human, moral imperative to deal with that situation first and then deal with any other situations coming your way,” she said, calling the situation a “humanitarian crisis.”
If you are a Republican, you put debt above everything except tax cuts for the rich and searching for wars. Trump just being Republican…Sessions, McConnell, Ryan, and the rest of them will always choose the debt issue over “common people in trouble and needing help”.
Paul Ryan…the boy that was saved by social security disability benefits as a young kid when his dad died - fast forward to adulthood and now Paul Ryan supports cutting those very programs. All it takes is being immoral…and that is a key characteristic to being Republican.
Correction: human beings who are not psyhopaths usually do put people above debt.
Also: the billions they owe wall street?!? Did he really say that? Did he really just cast wall street as the sympathetic party against a disaster struck area? After every fucking news organization assured me that trump had some common-touch populism going on?! After we heard for months that some speeches made Hillary unacceptably in Wall street’s pocket? I just cannot stomach this gut wrenching nauseating hypocrisy. But I’m sure he’ll do something “presidential” tomorrow and we can forget all about this.
This coming from a guy who declared bankruptcy at least 4 times and screwed banks and investors out of $100s of millions of dollars of unpaid debt he accrued.
Truly priceless!.
trump was just on TV talking about PR…and said “THOSE people are very important to all of us.” Okay…I put the emphasis on “those.” But that really sums up his attitude. He doesn’t consider them Americans. They are “those.”
But…hey…he thinks he’s winning on the NFL front.
Hell…Mary!
Yep - I knew this would come out eventually. The reason for the slow walking of aid. Mind you, this wasn’t an issue for TX or FL. Just PR.
I’ve heard that many residents are fleeing the island for the mainland. Hopefully, the Dems will gain lots more voters.
EDIT TO ADD: @left_in_washington_state The GOP only thinks of Puerto Ricans as some sort of colonized immigrants we allow nominal citizenship to.