Civic Register
| 10.4.17

President Trump Visits Puerto Rico & Promises to Wipe Out $73B Debt

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What’s the story?

President Trump, along with First Lady Melania Trump, visited Puerto Rico on Tuesday, 13 days after Hurricane Maria pummeled the island. He was greeted by Governor Ricardo Rosselló and Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón and ended the day telling Fox News that the administration would take steps to wipe out Puerto Rico’s $73 billion debt.

Why does it matter?

The president met with local officials, including San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, and distributed some supplies. He and the First Lady did not tour the island, particularly the interior, where access and difficulty in distributing supplies continues to endanger lives.

In a press conference President Trump raised eyebrows, comparing the death toll in Puerto Rico to that in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, suggesting that the devastation in Puerto Rico was not a "real catastrophe".

He also quipped about Puerto Rico "throwing our budget out of whack".

He praised the governor for "not playing politics" and praising the federal relief efforts:

The president traveled to Guaynabo, a community close to San Juan, to distribute supplies. While throwing rolls of paper towels to the crowd he commented, "There’s a lot of love in this room."

Mayor Yulin Cruz, who the president attacked on Twitter after she lambasted the administration’s relief efforts, said in an interview that she is hopeful both the president and his staff left the island with a clearer picture of what Puerto Rico is really facing:

President Trump also left Wall Street reeling when he suggested to Fox News before leaving the island that the administration would wipe out Puerto Rico’s $73 billion debt:

"You know, they owe a lot of money to your friends on Wall Street, and we’re going to have to wipe that out. You can say goodbye to that. I don’t know if it’s Goldman Sachs, but whoever it is, you can wave goodbye to that."

Watch the interview here.

The value of Puerto Rican bonds plummeted following President Trump’s comments. Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, was quick to state Wednesday morning that, "we are not going to bail them out." He also urged the public not to take the president "word for word."

What do you think?

What do you make of President Trump’s visit to Puerto Rico? Did his comments about the budget and Hurricane Katrina ring true or did they communicate a lack empathy? Do you think he should have come earlier or toured more of the island, or do you think that would have been a distraction from the relief efforts? What is the right behavior of a sitting president following a disaster of this scale, in your opinion? And what about forgiveness of Puerto Rico’s debt? Should the debt be forgiven? Should the president be more careful when he speaks?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: David Corn via Twitter)

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