9/19/2018

HURRICANE/PUERTO RICO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump touted the federal government’s response to Hurricane Florence during a stop in North Carolina Wednesday [9-19-18], after the storm overwhelmed the region starting last week…Trump has been battling critics, including Puerto Rican officials, over the last week over complaints that the federal response to last year’s Hurricane Maria was not sufficient. He has refused to accept death-toll figures the Puerto Rican government has acknowledged as legitimate, calling it a smear tactic by Democrats to discredit his government’s efforts. He has argued that because there had been few deaths at the time he visited Puerto Rico, it is unfair to count people who died later. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, has encouraged officials to cast a wide net when determining whether a death is disaster-related. In North Carolina, Trump said things would get better for residents hit by Florence shortly, but he acknowledged that his visit wouldn’t mark the end of the devastation.”

Hugh T. Ferguson, “Trump touts federal response to Florence during visit to the Carolinas,” Politico, September 19, 2018 11:48 am