Trump discrediting himself with Puerto Rico relief efforts: Analyst
US President Donald Trump is discrediting himself by defending his administration's response to the humanitarian disaster in Puerto Rico and dismissing any critics of his relief efforts as "fake news" and "politically motivated,” an American scholar says.
“This is a good illustration of how Trump is such a buffoon who can be right in certain respects even as he is egregiously wrong in details of what he is saying,” said Kevin Barrett, an author and political commentator in Madison, Wisconsin.
“As he’s complaining about the [news] coverage of Puerto Rico, he’s discrediting himself because clearly, there is a huge problem there; that the relief efforts have been inadequate,” Barrett told Press TV on Sunday.
“Just like [former President] George W. Bush in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Trump is failing to get the FEMA and these other agencies to respond properly to what looks like a real disaster,” Barrett added.
Residents of the hurricane-hit Puerto Rican capital of San Juan have described the Trump’s administration‘s relief efforts as a “disaster,” insisting that federal help has been disorganized, delayed and scarce, especially in remote areas.
On Saturday, Trump directly targeted the mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz, who had questioned the pace of US relief efforts to Puerto Rico battered by Hurricane Maria.
Trump accused the mayor of acting as the behest of Democrats "to be nasty to Trump," but Cruz said she was only appealing for speedier assistance to save lives.
"I wasn't saying anything nasty about the president," Cruz told MSNBC.
Trump is scheduled to visit the US territory on Tuesday to review rescue efforts.
US Senator Bernie Sanders told CNN on Sunday that skin color may be a factor in Trump's response. He also noted that Trump tweet-bombed the San Juan mayor from his "fancy golf club" in New Jersey, where he is spending the weekend, while mayor Cruz copes with a lack of food, water, and electricity.
"It is unspeakable," Sanders said. "I don't know what world Trump is living in.
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