In a telling juxtaposition of messages on Twitter on Sunday, Donald Trump boasted about “what I’ve done for Puerto Rico with so little appreciation” — even as San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz begged the Federal Government for basic assistance and wrote of power outages at hospitals, almost three weeks after Hurricane Maria struck the island.
In his latest attempt to claim success, after belatedly noticing the aftermath of the hurricane and then insulting Cruz on Twitter when she said the recovery effort was inadequate, Trump posted on Sunday night:
Nobody could have done what I’ve done for #PuertoRico with so little appreciation. So much work! pic.twitter.com/k2jAkIpfjI
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017
Observers noticed that Trump did not even attempt to claim a collective effort, as he did in a trip last week to Puerto Rico where he threw towels to people in a shelter. More pertinent, however, were Cruz’s messages earlier in the day about the continued difficulties:
Power collapses in San Juan hospital with 4 patients now being transferred out. Have requested support from FEMA. NOTHING! @DavidBegnaud
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) October 8, 2017
The mayor retweeted news that the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority has decided not to request assistance from any of the 1,100 US electricity companies ready to help. She then appealed to a series of news outlets and the UN:
Increasingly painful to undestand the american people want to help and US Gov does not want to help. WE NEED WATER! @UN @washingtonpost
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) October 8, 2017
Cruz said of the Federal Emergency Management Agency head Brock Long, “Response to everything is ‘let me see what I can do’ or I will check on that. Seriously who is in charge here?”
Yesterday Cruz wrote of the efforts despite problems with resources and distribution:
Today we continue our “people centered” plan of action. We continue in the streets with our people. Here in the Playita/Shangai communities pic.twitter.com/downWOMzLa
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) October 9, 2017
Meanwhile Trump — playing golf and focused once more on football players standing for the National Anthem, his primary issue in the days after Hurricane Maria — made no attempt to renew the waiver of the Jones Act so foreign ships can continue to deliver aid.
Trump whined last night that he didn’t get enough credit for his (in)action on Puerto Rico. Now he’s letting the Jones Act waiver expire. https://t.co/gdzMTUhYxU
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) October 9, 2017