This morning Trump tweeted the following about Puerto Rico:
"Puerto Rico survived the Hurricanes, now a financial crisis looms largely of their own making." says Sharyl Attkisson. A total lack of.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2017
...accountability say the Governor. Electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes. Congress to decide how much to spend....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2017
...We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2017
While I think it’s a bit soon for Trump to be making the proclamation that FEMA, the Military, and first responders can’t stay in Puerto rico forever, General John Kelly says what Trump tweeted is very true and explains why:
WH Chief of Staff Kelly to @CeciliaVega: "Our country will stand with those American citizens in Puerto Rico until the job is done." pic.twitter.com/wrd3CkrKnJ
— ABC News (@ABC) October 12, 2017
That’s certainly true. At some point the recovery effort should help set the country up to take on more of the effort itself. And then FEMA, the military and first responders can transition out of the country while others take their place.
That said, it’s only been a few weeks since Puerto Rico was ravaged by two hurricanes. That’s right, they got hit by both Irma and Maria which left a ton of devastation in their wake.
So yes, while Trump’s statements are accurate, I think they are very poorly timed and he should have allowed much more time to pass before making such a statement.
In related news, General Kelly also addressed rumors that he was either gonna quit or be fired:
White House chief of staff John Kelly: “Unless things change, I’m not quitting. I’m not getting fired” https://t.co/1DdntYsl43
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 12, 2017