Early Thursday morning, Donald Trump returned to what has become one of his favorite pastimes–kicking the people of Puerto Rico in the teeth. In one of his typical early-morning tweetstorms, Trump warned Puerto Ricans not to expect the federal government to help them any more than necessary. Never mind that only 11 percent of the island has power, and that 36 percent of residents lack access to clean water. Never mind that the island faces severe food and medicine shortages.
In the face of all of this, it should come as no surprise that San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz didn’t let this go unanswered. Cruz has gained worldwide fame for her efforts to call attention to her city and her island’s ordeal, as well as Washington’s bungled recovery effort. Thursday was no different; she spent most of the day sticking it to Trump for his callousness.
Cruz undoubtedly needed some time to calm down when she saw Trump warn that FEMA wouldn’t be around for much longer. But when she took to Twitter just before 11 am Eastern, she let Trump have it.
@POTUS It is not that you do not get it; you are incapable of fulfilling the moral imperative to help the people of PR. Shame on you.!
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) October 12, 2017
That’s right–the moral imperative to help 3.4 million American citizens. Unfortunately, Trump has once again forgotten about that imperative.
@POTUS your comments about Puerto Rico are unbecoming of a Commander in Chief they seem more to come from a “Hater in Chief”.
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) October 12, 2017
Cruz appeared particularly angered at Trump’s first tweet on Puerto Rico, which suggested that Puerto Ricans faced “a financial crisis largely of their own making.” So a Category 4 hurricane that completely destroyed Puerto Rico’s infrastructure was of the people’s “own making”? Got it.
Later on Thursday, Cruz issued a formal statement that was only slightly less restrained. NBC News obtained a copy.
San Juan mayor: "I ask every American … to stand with Puerto Rico and let this President know we WILL NOT BE LEFT TO DIE." pic.twitter.com/RuY7n3DibJ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 12, 2017
Cruz slammed Trump’s failure to extend its waiver of the Jones Act, which normally requires goods shipped between American ports to be carried on American-owned and operated vessels. When the waiver expired on Sunday, Puerto Rico faced paying double the costs to import goods from the mainland compared to neighboring islands. She also contrasted Trump’s tone-deaf and callous tweets with the “love and help” her people have received from ordinary people around the world.
Chances are Cruz would have been even less restrained had she heard Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania essentially dismiss the crisis as fake news. No, this isn’t snark.
When CNN’s Chris Cuomo said that less than half the island has access to the basic necessities of life, Perry harrumphed that Cuomo was “making this stuff up.” However, numerous reports on the ground prove that this is truly a disaster. For instance, CBS’ David Begnaud visited a hospital in Canóvanas, a town in northeastern Puerto Rico. The hospital has to rely on candles for power due to the lack of electricity.
(8/14) Dr. Mellado helps to hoist the barrel to get the last bit of diesel into the generator. It spills. His hands, lab coat are soiled
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) October 12, 2017
(9/14) He walks always, his head shaking. Another Dr. says the hospitals generator was bypassed by FEMA when it delivered the ‘bigger one’
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) October 12, 2017
(10/14) So, now there’s no back up. The generator is full but another doctors says it’ll take 1 hour to start. Dr. Mellado take us to the ER
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) October 12, 2017
(11/14) He washes his hands. There’s an annoying alarm. It’s an indicator that medical equipment has lost power. Staff is working diligently
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) October 12, 2017
Doesn’t sound like Cruz, Cuomo, or anyone else are “making this stuff up.”
When Cruz first started calling out the fail in the federal relief effort, Trump claimed that Democrats on the mainland had told her to turn “nasty” with him. Cruz’ response was to put on a shirt with “NASTY” printed on it, while musing that Trump was the real “nasty” one because his callous tweets betrayed “far deeper problems than those which can be explained in an interview.”
Seen in this light, it’s hard to blame Cruz for being upset. After all, Trump proved that she was right. Fear not, Señora Alcaldesa (madame mayor). The nation stands with you, even if the president isn’t willing to do so.
(featured image: screenshot courtesy Univision via [New York] Daily News)
