President Donald Trump struck back at the San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Saturday morning after her criticism of the U.S. federal government’s disaster relief response to Puerto Rico.
Trump insinuated that Democratic Party operatives told Cruz to criticize the president for not taking the appropriate tone when speaking about the recovery effort.
“We are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency, and the bureaucracy,” Cruz previously said of Trump’s response to the devastated island. “I am done being politically correct. I am mad as hell.”
FEMA and the U.S. military have thousands of people on Puerto Rico, which has posed a logistical challenge to federal authorities since the island was devastated by two hurricanes. Almost all of the Island’s power systems, communications infrastructure, and clean water distribution were wiped out by the two storms.
Cruz’s comments lie in stark contrast to Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello, who is outspoken in his praise for Trump. Rossello has consistently characterized the federal government’s response as engaged and robust, saying Friday “I have to say that the administration has responded to our petitions. FEMA, Brock Long, has been on the phone virtually all the time with me, checking out how things are going.”
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