Trump promises visit, aid to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico
After not mentioning the hurricane-devastated island for days, Trump on Tuesday pushed back aggressively and repeatedly against criticism that he had failed to quickly grasp the magnitude of Maria's destruction or give the
Trump announced that he would visit
And he attended a hurricane briefing. He called a meeting of agency heads tasked with helping
Throughout, Trump stressed that
Six days after Maria struck the island, conditions in
Trump, who had proposed visiting
His public focus in recent days on other matters, particularly his extended commentary on
Rep.
And it wasn't just
"The crisis for these Americans needs more attention — and more urgency from the executive branch," tweeted Republican Sen.
"We have a fundamental obligation to
For any president, there's much to be gained politically from ably handling the government's response to natural disasters, and Trump is no exception. His approval ratings in the most recent Gallup tracking poll ticked up, to 39 percent, after his trips to survey damage from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in
But Trump's fixation on
By Monday,
Trump was intent on showing he'd gotten the message — but still wasn't ready to set aside the
"We are totally focused on that," Trump said Tuesday of the growing crisis on the
Even as Trump insisted he has plenty of time to prioritize both issues — "All I do is work," he said Tuesday — criticism lingered.
Particularly galling to Trump's critics were his first tweets since last Wednesday when he urged people on the island to stay safe as Maria came ashore. In a trio of tweets on Monday night, he suggested that
"
Rep.
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