AP FACT CHECK: Trump strikes false notes on Puerto Rico
A look at his remarks during and after his visit to the hurricane-ravaged island:
TRUMP: "This has been the toughest one. This has been a Category 5, which — few people have ever even heard of a Category 5 hitting land. But it hit land and, boy, did it hit land." — remarks Tuesday in
THE FACTS: As terrible as it was, Maria actually made landfall on
Trump has repeatedly misstated the record. A week earlier, he said: "It actually touched down as a Category 5. People have never seen anything like that, and it was dead center." And: "The second one hit
Trump also said at one point that Maria had winds of 200 mph (322 kph). No official reports put the winds that strong.
His supposition that no other hurricane has made landfall with such velocity is wrong, even when limiting the scope of the comparison to
TRUMP on
THE FACTS:
Much of the
Trump's remark contributed to a plunge in
Although the type of federal hurricane recovery aid that
TRUMP: "Who needs a flashlight? ... Flashlights, you don't need 'em anymore. You don't need 'em anymore." — while handing out flashlights and tossing rolls of paper towels to a crowd in
THE FACTS: It's possible his particular audience did not need flashlights, but many Puerto Ricans do. He was visiting the upscale Guaynabo neighborhood, one of the fastest to recover. But more than 90 percent of the island's electricity customers remained without power at the time, nearly two weeks after the hurricane. And those who have it back are experiencing periodic blackouts.
Trump called the recovery "nothing short of a miracle." But the tour showed him a small slice of the island and exposed him to few critics of the relief effort. Visits to homes hammered by the storm were pre-arranged. Water shortages and despair continue in much of the island even as relief supplies have started to move faster and more gas stations start pumping again.
Even in the heart of San Juan, a few miles from Trump's path, people were hauling clothes fouled with sewage and wet mattresses out of homes still without electricity as he issued his upbeat report. They said no one has come to help them since the storm hit.
EDITOR'S NOTE _ A look at the veracity of claims by political figures
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