President Trump was spending some of his Saturday morning defending the ongoing search/rescue and humanitarian efforts of first responders in Puerto Rico while throwing CNN and NBC under the “fake news” bus. None of this is new: neither the president’s avid use of Twitter nor first responders exuding blood, sweat and tears nor hyperbolized stories promulgated by CNN and NBC. Nevertheless, Puerto Rico remains a central focus of federal, state and local public safety professionals as well as thousands of military personnel and tons of equipment.
A CNN report posted President Trump’s tweets: “The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.”
NBC portrayed San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz whose impassioned and highly-emotional plea contained innuendo painting the federal “bureaucracy” in unfavorable light, saying “We are dying here”:
Trump has hit out at San Juan's mayor after she pleaded for federal help following Hurricane Maria: "We are dying here" pic.twitter.com/w5Mu8qcBGu
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 30, 2017
Another tweet by President Trump on Saturday morning contained the following points: “Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort.”
It seemed as if President Trump was jarred by Mayor Cruz’s statement, especially after anti-Trump media outlets used footage and soundbites to strongly imply the White House failed Puerto Rico and its citizenry:
For some, delayed response to Puerto Rico has echoes of Katrina https://t.co/Xcnlw85huR pic.twitter.com/iXlZtSrtWe
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 30, 2017
Tellin’ It Like It Is
One of President Trump’s first tweets today implored the efforts of search/rescue and emergency relief workers while slamming “fake news” purveyors CNN and NBC, saying:
Fake News CNN and NBC are going out of their way to disparage our great First Responders as a way to "get Trump." Not fair to FR or effort!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
A few tweets followed that, indicating the president’s dismay over what certain media outlets are doing to sully the presidency and blemish the laborious tasks being implemented in post-Hurricane Maria for Puerto Rico’s rebound:
The Fake News Networks are working overtime in Puerto Rico doing their best to take the spirit away from our soldiers and first R's. Shame!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
Socked by Hurricane Maria one week ago, Puerto Rico has been flattened beyond belief and President Trump has maintained a steady flow of government resources to the island. Headed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), vast stores of cargo were shipped along with thousands of helping hands to get it offloaded, safeguarded, and distributed to Puerto Rico’s citizens after safe pathways were carved by search and rescue teams.
.@USCG crews worked together with the @RedCross, @fema, and members of local #police, #fire and #government to distribute disaster #relief supplies, food rations and #water in Rio Grande, #PuertoRico, yesterday, following #Hurricane #Maria. Full video https://t.co/4NtrRuY0HQ pic.twitter.com/QVcmuvBdpt
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) September 30, 2017
Igniting controversy with her assessment of the relief efforts underway in Puerto Rico, acting-Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said, “I know it is really a good news story in terms of our ability to reach people and the limited number of deaths that have taken place in such a devastating hurricane.” Those words didn’t bode well, especially not for San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz.
Despite the enormous challenges first responders are encountering in Puerto Rico, resources continue to pour in. Initially grateful for all aid provided by the federal government, San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz has reportedly had a change of heart and criticized the Trump Administration’s hurricane relief response.
Mayor Cruz retorted via a Live CNN telecast as she stood in waist-high floodwater: “This is, damn it, this is not a good news story. This is a ‘people are dying’ story. This is a ‘life-or-death’ story. This is, ‘there’s a truckload of stuff that cannot be taken to people’ story. This is a story of a devastation that continues to worsen.”
According to White House social media Director Dan Scavino, the bad blood in the water dates back to May 2016:
San Juan, PR Mayor has been hating on @realDonaldTrump long before he was our President. I'm not surprised by the show she is putting on… pic.twitter.com/vRPxS6J19A
— Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) September 30, 2017
As the New York Times reported today, “Puerto Rico has not been forgotten, but more than a week after Hurricane Maria hit, it’s a woozy empire of wreckage.” Most definitely not forgotten, and factions saddling up to the ongoing political divide seem begrudged by the pace of relief efforts. Those sentiments are understandable as are protocols for first responders to arrive safely.
After #Maria, helicopters are helping get needed supplies (like food, water, & fuel) into hard to reach areas of Puerto Rico. [📷: DVIDS] pic.twitter.com/INBdD9FoHy
— FEMA (@fema) September 29, 2017
Tons of aid continue to needle-in to hard-to-reach areas of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Even more resources are planned as FEMA optimizes safety, personnel and unique conditions.
