When Donald Trump arrived in Puerto Rico on October 3, he wasted no time making light of the disastrous conditions and joking about how the people of Puerto Rico are throwing "our budget out of whack."
Not very presidential, if you ask, well, many people, including the mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulìn Cruz. In an interview on MSNBC, she let us know exactly what she thought of President Donald Trump's behavior.
Cruz has been in the news since she publicly slammed Donald Trump for the federal government's lack of adequate response to the disaster in Puerto Rico.
San Juan mayor to Trump: No time for distractions https://t.co/OM27JG7D1A https://t.co/vxCjCuhLuJ— MSNBC (@MSNBC)1506783105.0
So when Trump arrived in Puerto Rico on October 3, the tension was already palpable.
In addition to Trump's earlier inappropriate remarks about the budget and comparing Puerto Rico to Katrina, there's the above video of him tossing paper towels into a crowd of people like he's giving away t-shirts at a ball game. These are people who have been without basic life necessities for weeks and he's treating them like a PR stunt.Needless to say, Mayor Cruz was not happy, and she wasn't going to let Trump off the hook for his behavior.
via: Getty Images
In this moment, when Cruz and Trump shook hands, she said to him, "It's about saving lives. It's not about politics." Trump didn't even seem to hear her. In an interview on MSNBC, Cruz slammed Trump for his inappropriate comments and actions during his visit to Puerto Rico. "This was a PR, 17-minute meeting," Cruz said. "There was no exchange with anybody, none of the mayors. "In fact, this terrible and abominable view of him throwing paper towels and throwing provisions at people, it really — it does not embody the spirit of the American nation... "He was insulting to the people of Puerto Rico."She went on to describe how people are dying. They can't get the supplies they need. People who need medical attention have no way of getting treatment. The situation is dire.
Meeting with WH staff productive. They REALLY understood the disconnect between how things are supposed to happen and how they really happen— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@Carmen Yulín Cruz)1507060204.0
Cruz's goal is not to pick a fight with the President of the United States. It's to save the people of Puerto Rico.
Hopefully the newly open channels of communication with WH staff will put in motion what is needed to accomplish our goal: save lives.— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@Carmen Yulín Cruz)1507060402.0