As Trump Heads to Puerto Rico, Not Everyone Is Excited

'We appreciate all the help that we've received, but his comments are not true'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 3, 2017 3:01 AM CDT
Trump to Meet Hurricane Victims in Puerto Rico
President Trump flashes a thumbs-up as he leaves after speaking to reporters about Puerto Rico upon his return to the White House in Washington, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

President Trump is planning to meet hurricane victims as well as officials and first responders when he visits Puerto Rico on Tuesday—but not everybody will be happy to see him. The AP spoke to residents angry about the president's description of some officials as "ingrates" who "want everything to be done for them." "He makes a fool out of himself and a fool out of his country," says linguist Rachel Cruz. She says most struggling Puerto Ricans feel the same way but they are unlikely to insult Trump because they still need his help. School principal Nancy Rivera says people appreciate the aid that has been received, but "his comments are not true." 'We don't deserve that," she says.

Other residents say they wish Trump had come sooner and they hope federal aid will be stepped up when he sees the devastation left by Hurricane Maria for himself, NBC News reports. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello says aid already surged in the days before Trump's visit, the BBC reports. He says around half the island's 3.4 million people now have running water, and 10% of residents will have power restored within the next two weeks. Federal officials say there are now 10,000 relief workers on the island. The White House says the president and First Lady Melania Trump will meet Rossello and other officials after receiving a briefing on relief efforts and meeting residents impacted by the hurricane. (More Puerto Rico stories.)

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