Schumer blasts Trump’s ‘offensive,’ ‘blatantly false’ Puerto Rico remark

Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) on Tuesday slammed President Trump over his claim that the federal response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year was an “unsung success.”

“This is an offensive, hurtful and blatantly false comment from the president,” Schumer tweeted. “Nearly 3,000 of our fellow citizens died in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. That is the complete opposite of ‘success.’”

Trump on Tuesday afternoon touted the federal response to Hurricane Maria as one of his administration’s “best jobs” after being asked what lessons the government can take from 2017 as it prepares for Hurricane Florence, which is expected to hit the East Coast later this week.

{mosads}”I think probably the hardest one we had by far was Puerto Rico because of the island nature, and I actually think it was one of the best jobs that’s ever been done with respect to what this is all about,” Trump said during an Oval Office briefing on efforts to prepare for Florence.

“The job that FEMA, and law enforcement and everybody did working along with the governor in Puerto Rico, I think was tremendous,” Trump added. “I think that Puerto Rico was an incredible, unsung success.”

Nearly 3,000 people died because of the storm, according to an independent study announced by the island’s governor. It wasn’t until last month, nearly 11 months after the hurricane hit, that Puerto Rico’s government-owned utility announced it had restored electricity to all of its customers.

Hurricane Florence, currently a Category 4 storm, is expected to make landfall later this week near the Carolinas.