President Donald J. Trump tweeted Saturday evening that he will visit Puerto Rico to examine the damage caused by Hurricane Maria and to help lead the recovery process on the ground.
I will be in PR on Tues. to further ensure we continue doing everything possible to assist & support the people in their time of great need.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
He also followed up his criticism of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz from earlier today saying his actions will speak louder than her words.
Results of recovery efforts will speak much louder than complaints by San Juan Mayor. Doing everything we can to help great people of PR!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
In addition, President Trump released a seven minute long tribute video to federal agents, military, and first responders who have assisted in the recovery process.
Because of #FakeNews my people are not getting the credit they deserve for doing a great job. As seen here, they are ALL doing a GREAT JOB! pic.twitter.com/1ltW2t3rwy
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
Members of the media and several government officials, most notably the aforementioned Puerto Rican mayor, have been very critical of President Trump's response to Hurricane Maria, which swept through the island last week, and left millions devastated.
However, as reported by the Daily Caller earlier today, FEMA administrator Brock Long defended the commander-in-chief emergency efforts from Cruz. On CNN, Long issued the following statement.
"The problem that we have with the mayor unfortunately is that unity of command is ultimately what’s needed to be successful in this response"and “What we need is for the mayor, the good mayor, to make her way to the joint field office and get plugged into what’s going on and be successful,” he continued, “I think that’s the bottom line on that tweet.”
Earlier this week, Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello also praised the coordination and succcess of President Trump's leadership in response to Hurricane Maria saying,
"I have to say that the administration has responded to our petitions. FEMA, Brock Long, has been on the phone virtually all the time with me, checking out how things are going," said Rossello.
"The different components of the national guard, military, FEMA and our government are working together on the priorities," he added.