President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump receive a briefing on the ongoing recovery efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The briefing will be held at 12:05 PM EDT in a hangar on Muniz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, Puerto Rico. They will then tour the devastation, talk with those working in the recovery and speak with victims of hurricane Maria.
The president and first lady will then meet aboard the USS Kearsarge with Governor Kenneth Mapp of the U.S. Virgin Islands and receive a briefing on the recovery efforts in his territory.
The Trump administration placed FEMA, military personnel, and aid supplies on the islands before Maria struck and aid has continued to arrive despite the destruction of almost all of the territories’ infrastructure.
In Puerto Rico, San Juan mayor, Carmen Yulin Cruz, is embroiled in controversy after failing to attend emergency aid strategy meetings, spending far too much time on camera, and making false statements in an effort to paint the recovery effort as “Trump’s Katrina.” She also miraculously got a custom-printed t-shirt made saying “Help Us We are Dying” to wear in a CNN interview while 0% of the island had power or water. A caller to a New York radio show who identified herself as a Puerto Rican police officer accused Ms. Yulin Cruz of preventing aid distribution.
Cruz continues to point out “inefficiencies and bureaucracies” while the other 77 mayors of Puerto Rico and governors of both territories praise the efforts of emergency aid workers and the Trump administration.
