Donald Trump disputes Puerto Rico death toll
US president says official figures were made up to make him look bad
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”.
“Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3,000,” Trump wrote, adding: “This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The comments drew immediate anger from San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who called Trump’s claim “delusional, paranoid, and unhinged from any sense of reality”, the Independent says.
The White House issued a statement defending the comments, saying Trump was “responding to the liberal media and the San Juan Mayor who sadly, have tried to exploit the devastation by pushing out a constant stream of misinformation and false accusations”.
Several senior Republicans including Paul Ryan and Florida governor Rick Scott, moved to distance themselves from Trump’s dismissal of research carried out by George Washington University.
The Washington Post says the US president has been “easily distracted this week by cable news commentary about his mismanagement of Maria”, while his administration worked to prepare for Hurricane Florence to hit the Carolinas.
White House staff have reportedly been using large, colourful charts during disaster briefings to provide education about hurricanes to Trump, because he is a “visual learner”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
When is an offensive social media post a crime?
The Explainer UK legal system walks a 'difficult tightrope' between defending free speech and prosecuting hate speech
By The Week UK Published
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?
The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
'It may not be surprising that creative work is used without permission'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What message is Trump sending with his Cabinet picks?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION By nominating high-profile loyalists like Matt Gaetz and RFK Jr., is Trump serious about creating a functioning Cabinet, or does he have a different plan in mind?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Gaetz ethics report in limbo as sex allegations emerge
Speed Read A lawyer representing two women alleges that Matt Gaetz paid them for sex, and one witnessed him having sex with minor
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The clown car cabinet
Opinion Even 'Little Marco' towers above his fellow nominees
By Mark Gimein Published
-
What Mike Huckabee means for US-Israel relations
In the Spotlight Some observers are worried that the conservative evangelical minister could be a destabilizing influence on an already volatile region
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Pentagon faces an uncertain future with Trump
Talking Point The president-elect has nominated conservative commentator Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'All Tyson-Paul promised was spectacle and, in the end, that's all we got'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published