Trump responded to the mayor's Friday comments.
President Trump launched a verbal attack against the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Twitter Saturday after she criticized the government’s response to Hurricane Maria.
Mayor Yulín Cruz accused the administration of "killing us with the inefficiency" during a Friday news conference and pleaded with the Federal government to send more resources to Puerto Rico, stating that not doing so would cost lives.
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Criticism of the administration’s response to what is being called a “humanitarian crisis” in Puerto Rico is growing. Thousands of Puerto Ricans were desperate for water and supplies in the aftermath of the category 4 storm, which left millions on the island without power, reports said.
On Saturday morning, Trump took to Twitter to criticize Cruz and claimed the island’s residents aren’t doing enough to help themselves.
“The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump," the President tweeted. “Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort.”
...Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
...want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
“The military and first responders, despite no electric, roads, phones etc., have done an amazing job," he wrote. "Puerto Rico was totally destroyed.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said this week that Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands has received 4.4 million meal kits and 6.5 million liters of water, NBC reported.
Cruz responded to the president’s Saturday tweets by writing on her own Twitter, “The goal is one: saving lives. This is the time to show our "true colors". We cannot be distracted by anything else.”
Cruz has said that FEMA “has collapsed on the island."
"I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out logistics for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles," she said. "If we don't get the food and the water into people's hands, we are going to see something close to a genocide," Cruz said.
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Trump said that he plans to visit Puerto Rico on Tuesday along with the First Lady.
Many have said there has been a slow federal reaction after the storm.
At least 16 people have died in Puerto Rico in the hurricane’s aftermath, reports said.
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