After days of bashing the National Football League (NFL) and its players on Twitter for protesting the national anthem, Donald Trump decided to use social media to touch on the aftermath of Hurricane Maria devastating much of Puerto Rico.
Trump on Puerto Rico
After Hurricane Harvey touched down in Texas and Hurricane Irma made its way through Cuba and Florida in recent weeks, yet another storm has put the world on notice. Just last week, Hurricane Maria ripped through Puerto Rico with winds reaching over 100 mpg, while matching the flooding seen in Houston during Harvey.
According to the most recent reports, at least 10 people have been reported dead due to the storm, including two police officers. In the Caribbean, where Maria also hit, over 30 lives have been taken. Officials describe the impact as a "major disaster," with over 15,000 being displaced to shelters in what could set the island back decades. In recent days, Donald Trump has faced criticism for spending more time focusing on his feud with the NFL then offering a helping hand to Puerto Rico, resulting in the president posting a controversial string of tweets on September 25.
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
Taking to his Twitter feed on Monday night, Donald Trump made sure to point out the size of the debt that Puerto Rico owes to the United States and Wall Street.
"Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble," Trump tweeted.
...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
"It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated.
Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with," Donald Trump went on to tweet. In conclusion, the commander in chief added, "Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well."
...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
Twitter reacts
Within minutes of his tweets, critics of Donald Trump lashed out in response.
"Holy sh*t you are terrible," one tweet read.
So now - we PUNISH Puerto Rico for their debt to Wall Street (which you ragged Hillary on during the election) INSTEAD OF HELPING THEM?!
— Royce Christyn (@ChristynRoyce) September 26, 2017
Maybe you should donate some of your billions of dollars of laundered money to help Puerto Rico
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) September 26, 2017
"Maybe you should donate some of your billions of dollars of laundered money to help Puerto Rico," one Twitter user added. "So now - we PUNISH Puerto Rico for their debt to Wall Street (which you ragged Hillary on during the election) INSTEAD OF HELPING THEM?!" another tweet stated.
Your ego is a black hole from which none of us can escape. What in the world did your parents do to you???
— Sara ❄ Schaefer (@saraschaefer1) September 26, 2017
You finally speak out about helping citizens in Puerto Rico and you bring up the island's debt?
— Senator TrillStyle (@mikestill) September 26, 2017
"Gosh if food, water & medical were top priorities to you, maybe you wouldn't have written the first two tweets bashing their infrastructure?" an additional tweet noted. The backlash continued to pour in as many were not pleased with Donald Trump's response.
