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Donald Trump's been receiving a lot of criticism for his initial lack of a response to victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
And then when he did finally address the disaster in Puerto Rico, he joked that the territory was costing the U.S. a lot of money and throwing its budget out of whack.
In fact, he thought that the appropriate response when he finally did get around to talking about Puerto Rico, was to bash the mayor of San Juan and start putting blame on Democrats. You know, while people were without food, water, and electricity.
Turns out that his eventual visit to Puerto Rico went over just about as well as his tweets did. The President was photographed shooting paper towels into the crowd like they were basketballs.
From @Carrasquillo: “In his best Stephen Curry impersonation, Trump ... softly shot paper towels into the crowd, which they enjoyed”
Pres Trump visited supply distribution center at Calvary Chapel in Guaynabo, P.R. Handed out paper towels, flashlight batteries and rice. pic.twitter.com/0VqvirsvmQ
President Trump throws rolls of paper towels to residents gathered in a chapel in Puerto Rico. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) pic.twitter.com/xZ9AdtXH8G
Trump: great crowd today, fantastic. now raise those hands if you want paper towels! Staffer: uh we should probably hand them out sir Trump: pic.twitter.com/2pmt9vOIsi
When Hurricane Maria stuck Puerto Rico in September, billions of dollars worth of damage was done, and much of the island was left without power.
Months later, it's been revealed that the death toll is far higher than the official toll of 64, with at least 499 people killed in Puerto Rico according to funeral home directors and staff, who say that months without power and other essentials have led to indirect hundreds of indirect deaths.
The New York Times and a group of academics believe the number could be even higher — closer to 1,000 — a figure they calculated by comparing mortality rates to previous years.
Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rosselló, has since announced plans to reassess the official death toll.
With infrastructure still damaged on much of the island, Puerto Ricans are moving to the mainland in mass.
