Donald J. Trump chose to remember 9/11 in a most curious — and shameful — manner.
Yes, he went to Shanksville, Pa., and delivered some moving remarks paying tribute to the passengers who fought the hijackers intent on crashing United 93 into the U.S. Capitol.
Then he returned to the Oval Office and boasted about how “great” the government performed a year ago when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. The response, he said, was the best in history.
Oh, but wait! The death toll in Puerto Rico has been, um, adjusted. Instead of 64 deaths, we now know that 2,975 Americans died from the wrath of the storm that ravaged the island territory.
It took a year to restore power. Food and water was painfully slow to arrive.
So, on the day supposedly dedicated to remembering the heroes and victims of 9/11, the president decided to lie — yet again — about the government’s response to a human tragedy in Puerto Rico.
Donald Trump’s penchant for self-aggrandizement continues to amaze many Americans. Sure, he has those who support him. They’ll cheer him on. Not me.
The president’s inability to set aside the false narrative about the government’s response to a tragic event demonstrates yet again the president’s ignorance about the complex nation he was elected to govern.
1st, let me say that everything we can do is never going to be enough when there is a disaster like Maria, or Hugo or Katrina. That being said, I think the government did a very credible job mobilizing the military, providing relief and disaster assistance to Puerto Rico. Let us not forget, the power grid in P.R. was in such bad shape that most of the power lines and substations could not be repaired, they had to be totally replaced. This also creates another problem, as workers and materials had to be transported, mostly by ship, from the mainland. This is not like transferring workers and equipment from OK to Texas! Also, just because it is not on the news every night, the work continues, funded by our government. Lastly, I think the Trump statement was meant as a compliment to FEMA staff for the work they have put in this last year, and to motivate them to the massive job ahead w/ Hurricane Florence.