April 2, 2019

Trump Tears Into Puerto Rico, Falsely Claims It Has Received $91 Billion in Aid

He said the island’s government “only take from USA.”

Cheriss May/ZUMA

For indispensable reporting on the coronavirus crisis and more, subscribe to Mother Jones' newsletters.

In a series of furious tweets that began Monday evening and continued well into Tuesday, President Donald Trump lashed out at Puerto Rico’s leaders—twice labeling them as “corrupt” and “incompetent”—and falsely claimed the island has already received $91 billion in federal aid after Hurricane Maria. Moreover, he complained that Puerto Rico’s politicians “only take from USA”—despite the fact that Puerto Rico is part of the United States and its residents are American citizens.

While it’s unclear exactly how Trump arrived at the $91 billion figure, the claim is a likely misrepresentation of the $95 billion that the government of Puerto Rico projected in November it would take for the island to recover from Hurricane Maria over a long period of time. The Washington Post estimated that Puerto Rico has actually received just $11.2 billion so far—well below the $91 billion Trump has been citing in recent days.

The president’s latest outburst came after Senate Democrats on Monday blocked a Republican disaster relief bill, arguing that it was wholly inadequate to deal with the ongoing crisis on the island. “The Democrats today killed a Bill that would have provided great relief to Farmers and yet more money to Puerto Rico despite the fact that Puerto Rico has already been scheduled to receive more hurricane relief funding than any ‘place’ in history,” Trump fumed after the bill failed to advance. By Tuesday morning, Trump was claiming that the “best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico is President Donald J. Trump.”

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley defended Trump’s tweets during an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday. But in doing so, he referred to Puerto Rico as “that country”—remarks that seemed to echo Trump’s earlier comments. Gidley later called his statement a “slip of the tongue.”

Thank you!

We didn't know what to expect when we told you we needed to raise $400,000 before our fiscal year closed on June 30, and we're thrilled to report that our incredible community of readers contributed some $415,000 to help us keep charging as hard as we can during this crazy year.

You just sent an incredible message: that quality journalism doesn't have to answer to advertisers, billionaires, or hedge funds; that newsrooms can eke out an existence thanks primarily to the generosity of its readers. That's so powerful. Especially during what's been called a "media extinction event" when those looking to make a profit from the news pull back, the Mother Jones community steps in.

The months and years ahead won't be easy. Far from it. But there's no one we'd rather face the big challenges with than you, our committed and passionate readers, and our team of fearless reporters who show up every day.

Thank you!

We didn't know what to expect when we told you we needed to raise $400,000 before our fiscal year closed on June 30, and we're thrilled to report that our incredible community of readers contributed some $415,000 to help us keep charging as hard as we can during this crazy year.

You just sent an incredible message: that quality journalism doesn't have to answer to advertisers, billionaires, or hedge funds; that newsrooms can eke out an existence thanks primarily to the generosity of its readers. That's so powerful. Especially during what's been called a "media extinction event" when those looking to make a profit from the news pull back, the Mother Jones community steps in.

The months and years ahead won't be easy. Far from it. But there's no one we'd rather face the big challenges with than you, our committed and passionate readers, and our team of fearless reporters who show up every day.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our newsletters

Subscribe and we'll send Mother Jones straight to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate

We have a new comment system! We are now using Coral, from Vox Media, for comments on all new articles. We'd love your feedback.