Donald Trump disputes Puerto Rico death toll

US president says official figures were made up to make him look bad

Donald Trump claims Hurricane Maria death toll was made up to make him look bad
(Image credit: 2018 Getty Images)

Donald Trump has denied that nearly 3,000 people died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, claiming that the figure contained in a study on the death toll was made up by Democrats seeking to undermine him.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Trump said the death toll was “anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths” in the immediate wake of the storm, and that as time went on, that figure “did not go up by much”.

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