News

Trump Blasts ‘Corrupt’ Puerto Rican Officials As Protesters Call For Gov. Ricardo Rossello’s Resignation

President Donald Trump went after Puerto Rico’s “corrupt” government officials Thursday on Twitter, as San Juan has become mired in protests over the last few days.

“The Governor is under siege, the Mayor of San Juan is a despicable and incompetent person who I wouldn’t trust under any circumstance, and the United States Congress foolishly gave 92 Billion Dollars for hurricane relief, much of which was squandered away or wasted, never to be seen again,” Trump wrote, before accusing the island’s political leaders of having “wasted” their allotted relief funds and of “robbing the U.S. Government blind!”

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Trump had previously lambasted San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz after she criticized the White House’s response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the territory in September 2017.

Protestors in Puerto Rico have been calling for Gov. Ricardo Rosselló to resign after hundreds of pages of disparaging text messages about his political rivals were leaked. According to several reports, the messages also contained information about public opinion polls allegedly that were allegedly manipulated and a distasteful remark about dead bodies piling up in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

SLIDESHOW: TOP DEMOCRATS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020

Trump also said the amount allocated to hurricane relief for Puerto Rico was more than twice the quantity allotted to Florida and Texas, both of which also suffered severe storm damage around the same time as Puerto Rico.

Trump famously called his administration’s response to Hurricane Maria an “unsung success” last year. The comment drew severe backlash from local leaders like Cruz and lawmakers, who noted that around 3,000 people were killed as a result of the storm. 

Police in San Juan used tear gas to dispel crowds of protesters outside the capital’s main government building, La Fortaleza.

Pablo Mena

Writer for upolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Share
Published by
Pablo Mena

Recent Posts

GOP Budget Bill Changes Name Of Proposed Children’s Savings Plan To ‘Trump Accounts’ From ‘MAGA Accounts’

The GOP megabudget bill proposes to create savings accounts for American babies born during President…

14 hours ago

Floyd Brown Fired As Kennedy Center V.P. Over Anti-LGBTQ Comments Calling Same-Sex Marriage ‘Godless’

Floyd Brown, former vice president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and longtime…

16 hours ago

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ‘Disappointed’ Trump Is Considering Pardons For Men Who Attempted To Kidnap & Kill Her

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan) said she is “disappointed” that President Donald Trump is looking into…

16 hours ago

Trump Pardons Notorious Gang Leader Larry Hoover After Kanye West’s Intervention

President Donald Trump has pardoned the federal life sentence of Larry Hoover, one of Chicago’s…

1 day ago

Justice Dept. Launches Investigation Into Another Trump Enemy, Former N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, As He Runs For NYC Mayor

The U.S. Justice Department recently opened a criminal investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew…

1 day ago

Trump Bashes California & Gov. Gavin Newsom For Allowing Transgender Athletes To Compete

President Donald Trump threatened to cut off federal funding from California for allegedly violating his…

1 day ago