Trump's conspiracy theory on Puerto Rico death toll makes even Florida Republicans squirm
President Trump’s assertion Thursday that Puerto Rico’s death toll from Hurricane Maria amounted to a conspiracy by Democrats to make him look bad proved too much for even his staunchest Republican supporters in Florida.
I disagree with @POTUS– an independent study said thousands were lost and Gov. Rosselló agreed. I’ve been to Puerto Rico 7 times & saw devastation firsthand. The loss of any life is tragic; the extent of lives lost as a result of Maria is heart wrenching. I’ll continue to help PR
— Rick Scott (@ScottforFlorida) September 13, 2018
With the midterms less than two months away, and with Hurricane Florence bearing down on the Carolinas, Trump disputed an independent study that Puerto Rico’s government cited when, in August, it raised its official death toll from the storm to 2,975.
3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2018
…..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. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2018
Trump’s remarks even proved too much for Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis, a man who has advertised himself as being in lockstep with the president. “Ron DeSantis is committed to standing with the Puerto Rican community, especially after such a tragic loss of life,” a statement from the candidate’s campaign read. “He doesn’t believe any loss of life has been inflated.”
The timing of Trump’s tweet could not be worse for Republicans locked in tight races in Florida. Thousands of Puerto Ricans have relocated to the state in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and candidates in the state have worked hard to court their votes.
In a House race in South Florida that Democrats have targeted, incumbent Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo retweeted Gov. Rick Scott’s rebuke of Trump on Thursday, a further sign of the anxiety the president’s latest conspiracy is causing.
Democrats like gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum also knew that Trump’s tweets could come back to haunt their party and quickly responded.
No death is partisan and our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico deserved better from @realDonaldTrump before, during, and after the hurricane.
— Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) September 13, 2018
Incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson sent out tweets in English and Spanish to seize on Trump’s latest conspiracy theory.
Los comentarios del presidente, sobre las casi 3,000 vidas estadounidenses perdidas en Puerto Rico, son vergonzosos. Merecemos y esperamos más de la persona que ocupa el cargo más alto de nuestro país.
— Senator Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) September 13, 2018
The president’s comments on the nearly 3,000 American lives lost in Puerto Rico are shameful. We deserve and expect more from someone who holds the highest office in our country.
— Senator Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) September 13, 2018
The disgust over Trump’s remarks extended beyond those Republicans seeking office in the midterms. Alan Levine, who was appointed to the Board of Governors by Scott, had a clear message for the president.
Mr. President. SHUT UP. Any death, whether one or 3,000 is a tragedy. That doesn’t mean you caused it, and its not about you. Show compassion for the families. Learn what we can so future response can improve. Honestly….
— Alan Levine (@alevine014) September 13, 2018
The closest that any Florida Republican politician came to defending Trump’s explanation for the official Puerto Rican death toll came from Sen. Marco Rubio, and even that was at odds with the president’s telling of events.
These days even tragedy becomes political. 3k more Americans died in #PuertoRico after Hurricane than during comparable periods before. Both Fed & local gov made mistakes. We all need to stop the blame game & focus on recovery, helping those still hurting & fixing the mistakes. https://t.co/NQRKWbWEdh
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) September 13, 2018
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