Trump marvels that only 16 people have died in Puerto Rico compared to 'thousands' in 'a real catastrophe like Katrina'

President Trump.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Tom Namako/CNN Live)

President Trump downplayed the Puerto Rico crisis Tuesday, observing that the death toll in the territory was just "16 people," as compared to the "thousands" killed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"Every death is a horror," Trump said during a visit to the island, "but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here, with a storm that was really, totally overpowering — nobody's ever seen anything like this — and what is your death count as of this moment? Seventeen?"

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.