Donald Trump’s response to the Puerto Rico (and
He’s focused on demeaning black athletes and ignored Puerto Rico in several days of busy tweeting. When he did mention Puerto Rico, he mentioned the island’s debt to Wall Street (overlooking the bankruptcy he took stiffing people in Puerto Rico for $33 million on
“It’s the most difficult job because it’s on the island, it’s on an island in the middle of the ocean,” Trump said at a joint press conference with Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy. “It’s out in the ocean — you can’t just drive your trucks there from other states.”
Thank goodness FDR figured out how to get trucks, to Normandy.
But this is even more appalling than Trump’s latest display of
The Trump administration says it is not planning to waive federal restrictions on foreign ships’ transportation of cargo to Puerto Rico and other areas affected by Hurricane Maria, as it did following hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security says officials believe there is sufficient capacity of U.S.-flagged vessels to move goods to Puerto Rico. Spokesman David Lapan said most of the humanitarian shipments to Puerto Rico will be through barges, which make up a significant portion of the U.S.-flagged cargo fleet.
DHS waived Jones Act restrictions during Harvey and Irma in order to move oil more quickly to the East Coast and make up for the loss of pipelines.
New York Rep Nydia Velazquez has asked for a Jones Act waiver for Maria.
Perhaps Trump and his leadership are unaware, as polls show about half of U.S. people are, that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
UPDATE: There is this. After being urged to do so by Hillary Clinton, Trump has sent a Navy