San Juan mayor targeted by Trump has strong ties to Pittsburgh

Oct. 01--The world is just getting to know the mayor of San Juan, but Pittsburgh knows her quite well.

Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, attacked by President Trump for her "poor leadership" in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

She lived in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside and Bethel Park from 1984 to 1992.

Cruz told the Trib in 2014 that her education at Carnegie Mellon shaped a philosophy that has helped her succeed as a public servant. She received a master's degree in public management and policy from CMU.

Cruz now finds herself as Trump's latest target after complaining in several TV network and cable news interviews about the Trump administration's response to what some call a looming humanitarian crisis.

"People are dying in this country," Cruz said at a news conference Friday. In several tearful interviews, she has said thousands of people are without food and water and people who need dialysis and other medical care are going without treatment. "I am begging, begging anyone that can hear us, to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy."

Trump took to Twitter early Saturday and lashed out at Cruz, who is living at a sports arena turned shelter with more than 700 refugees.

The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

...Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They....

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

...want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job.

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

Cruz responded with a tweet of her own, saying there is no time for distractions as the U.S. territory recovers from the Sept. 20 storm. The Category 4 hurricane left most of the Caribbean island without power, running water or cellphone access.

The goal is one: saving lives. This is the time to show our 'true colors'. We cannot be distracted by anything else. pic.twitter.com/7PAINk19xM

-- Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) September 30, 2017

On Saturday, one of the island's leading news organizations, Primera Hora, reported that an electric generator a Hospital San Francisco in the town of Rio Piedras stopped working, putting at risk 45 adult patients.

According to The Washington Post, Cruz smiled when she saw Trump's tweets about her.

"The most powerful man in the world is concerned with a 5-foot-tall, 120 pounds little mayor of the city of San Juan," she said, according to the Post.

Trump's tweets about Puerto Rico continued throughout Saturday, prompting prominent celebrities and politicians to come in Cruz's defense.

Don't let anyone make you feel alone. We are with you and Puerto Rico. https://t.co/CxI1eRXJ8L

-- Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 30, 2017

She has been working 24/7. You have been GOLFING.You're going straight to hell. Fastest golf cart you ever took. https://t.co/5hOY23MBvQ

-- Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) September 30, 2017

Trump had praise for Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello, who has said he is pleased with the federal response to the disaster.

The Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, is a great guy and leader who is really working hard. Thank you Ricky!

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017

During a visit to Pittsburgh in 2014, Cruz said Puerto Rico was thriving despite a crushing municipal debt of more than $70 billion. She is not in favor of statehood for Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States. All of its more than 3.5 million residents are American citizens.

"(Statehood) wouldn't be beneficial because eventually you would lose your cultural distinction," she told the Trib. "A relationship with the United States is important. How we manage that relationship is what has to be tempered to the times."

Luis Fábregas is editor of the Tribune-Review's digital Pittsburgh edition.

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