Ron DeSantis, Andrew Gillum agree: Trump’s Puerto Rico claim was wrong

News-Journal (Daytona Beach, FL)

Sept. 13--Both candidates for Florida governor-- plus the current governor -- agree on at least one thing: President Trump is wrong when he says the latest death toll from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico was inflated to make him look bad.

[MORE: Trump rejects official Puerto Rico hurricane death toll]

Trump tweeted his doubts Thursday morning about an independent assessment that found 2,975 people died as a result of the storm nearly one year ago. Those findings, by researchers at George Washington University on behalf of the Puerto Rico governor, were markedly different than the government's initial count, 64.

"... This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico," Trump tweeted. "If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!"

At 6:17 a.m., Andrew Gillum, the Democrat running for Florida governor, tweeted: "No death is partisan and our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico deserved better from @realDonaldTrump before, during and after the hurricane."

(READ MORE: Hurricane Florence begins to hit the North Carolina coast)

State Sen. Victor Torres, D-Kissimmee, joined Gillum in condemning the comments. "Donald Trump today desecrated the thousands of Puerto Ricans who died in Hurricane Maria," he said. "His tweets are painful and horrifying and completely unfounded. We should be honoring the dead and their families -- not attacking them."

Later in the morning, a spokesman for Republican Ron DeSantis, a close ally of the president, issued a statement Thursday that in part read: "He doesn't believe any loss of life has been inflated."

(READ MORE: Rough surf, extra high tides as Florence churns up Volusia, Flagler beaches)

Stephen Lawson said DeSantis "has always worked to help the Puerto Rican community," and the former congressman representing Volusia and Flagler counties held a House oversight hearing earlier this year to identify deficiencies in the federal response to Hurricane Maria. "Ron DeSantis is committed to standing with the Puerto Rican community, especially after a tragic loss of life."

(READ MORE: Keeping an eye on Florence, they fled to Daytona Beach)

DeSantis recently named state Rep. Bob Cortes, R-Altamonte Springs, his campaign's Puerto Rico outreach chair.

"We agree that no estimates regarding loss of life have been inflated and we remain focused on ensuring a full recovery for the island and creating more economic opportunities for those arriving in Florida," Cortes said in an email.

DeSantis rode the president's endorsement to victory in the Republican primary for governor and has been one of the president's biggest backers in attacking the FBI and special counsel investigation into Russia-Trump campaign ties during the 2016 election. One of his campaign ads in the primary played off his ties to the president by showing DeSantis in family settings that included his infant son wearing a red "Make America Great Again" onesie.

[MORE: Trump factor looms large in primary races, from national to local]

Gov. Rick Scott, also a friend of Trump's who's running as a Republican for U.S. Senate, declared in a tweet Thursday morning: "I disagree with @POTUS -- an independent study said thousands were lost and Gov. Rosselló agreed. I've been to Puerto Rico 7 times & saw devastation firsthand. The loss of any life is tragic; the extent of lives lost as a result of Maria is heart wrenching. I'll continue to help PR."

His opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson called the president's comments "shameful."

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