The mayor of Puerto Rico’s largest city said President Trump is the “Hater in Chief” after Trump said the U.S. response to the crisis in the U.S. territory couldn’t last “forever.”
“[Y]our comments about Puerto Rico are unbecoming of a Commander in Chief,” Carmen Yulín Cruz tweeted, “they seem more to come from a ‘Hater in Chief’.”
Earlier Thursday, Cruz blasted Trump for his remarks, saying he is “incapable of fulfilling the moral imperative to help the people of [Puerto Rico].”
In a statement released after her tweets, Cruz continued lambasting Trump, saying his actions are “unbecoming of a leader of the free world.”
“It is not that you do not get it, it is that you are incapable of empathy and frankly simply cannot get the job done,” Cruz said.
Cruz also issued a striking plea for help from the United Nations and other international aid organizations to “stop the genocide” in Puerto Rico.
“I ask the United Nations, UNICEF and the world to stand with the people of Puerto Rico and stop the genocide that will result from the lack of appropriate action of a President that just does not get it,” she said.
“No one needs an invitation to help, to feed the hungry, to cure the sick, to give a helping hand to those in need,” she continued. “Simply put: HELP US. WITHOUT ROBUST and CONSISTENT HELP, WE WILL DIE.”
{mosads}Trump and Cruz have been feuding since shortly after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. Cruz had been critical of the administration’s response, which led Trump to rip her leadership and accuse her of playing politics.
During Trump’s visit to the island last week, the president pointedly did not ask Cruz to speak during a televised meeting with federal and local officials.
Trump in a series of tweets on Thursday said Congress would have to decide how much to spend and that the federal response could not last forever.
The House is expected to vote on a Puerto Rico aid package on Thursday.
Just 17 percent of Puerto Ricans currently have power, according to the government’s online tracker.