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US PRESIDENT DONALD spent yesterday afternoon attending a high-profile golf tournament, signalling that he will not be cowed by critics of his response to Hurricane Maria.
Earlier , Trump had scoffed at “politically motivated ingrates” who questioned his administration’s commitment to rebuilding Puerto Rico after the pulverising storm. He assured Americans there had been “tremendous progress.”
The remarks, in tweets and from the manicured green, demonstrated Trump’s defiance in the face of charges that he has been distracted and his administration slow to respond to the US territory’s struggle to restore power and basic services in the two weeks after the storm.
Neither those charges, nor his past criticism of his predecessor for golfing during a crisis, kept him from attending The Presidents Cup in New Jersey.
The Presidents Cup is a team tournament that pits US golfers against golfers from elsewhere in the world from outside Europe.
After staying Saturday at his own New Jersey golf club, Trump yesterday travelled to Jersey City, where he spent the afternoon in the hospitality suite perched above the Liberty National Golf Club’s 14th hole.
He was on hand to present the tournament’s trophy to Team USA., which he dedicated to the people of Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida still recovering from hurricane devastation.
“I want to just remember them and we’re going to dedicate this trophy to all of those people that went through so much, that we love,” he said, adding of Puerto Rico: “We have it under really great control.”
As Trump spoke, someone in the crowd accused him of not caring about Puerto Rico, using a vulgarism to make the point.
Returning to the White House, Trump told reporters Sunday evening:
We’re doing really well on Puerto Rico. I’ll be going there on Tuesday. Tremendous progress being made. We’re getting the roads open, we’re getting a lot of things done — really at a record clip. So we’re very happy with that.
Trump spent years hammering his predecessor, Barack Obama, both for playing golf and leaving Washington too often.
“President Obama should have gone to Louisiana days ago, instead of golfing,” he tweeted in August of last year, after severe flooding in the state. “Too little, too late!”
In 2014, Obama was criticised for playing golf right after speaking to reporters about the execution of journalist James Foley by Islamic State militants.
And President George W. Bush was faulted for not immediately returning to Washington from his Crawford, Texas, ranch after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said that Trump had committed to attending the golf tournament “many months ago.”
“He is being continually updated on the situation in Puerto Rico and only came briefly to present the trophy to the American team who are serving as great representatives for our country,” she said, adding:
He is eager to get to Puerto Rico on Tuesday and further emphasise his dedication to the recovery efforts which have received widespread praise from local officials on the ground.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, whose criticism on Friday of the federal response drew Trump’s scorn, said that people from federal agencies had been helpful but that the island needed even more.
“I recognise the good heart that the FEMA people have. They want to help, but they don’t have the resources,” she said on ABC’s This Week.
Her tone was far different Friday when she accused the Trump administration of “killing us with the inefficiency” after the storm.
She begged the president to “make sure somebody is in charge that is up to the task of saving lives,” and appealed for help “to save us from dying.”
Trump had responded by deriding the “poor leadership ability” of the mayor and others in Puerto Rico “who are not able to get their workers to help.”
He added, without elaboration, “They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort.”
The Trump administration said it had more than 10,000 federal officials on the ground, and that urban search and rescue teams have covered the entire island, searching more than 2,649 structures.
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All money, no class.
@Sean: The “no money, no class” are the real problem. The Puerto Rico local economy needs positive development and competent, on the spot, first responders as hurricanes happen regularly
@Tom Newnewman: America has been fleecing them for decades. The Jones Act is just one piece of legislation that drives up costs in PR
No mention of how the truck drivers union are striking and won’t deliver the tons of aid sitting in air conditioned units at the port, no mention of Yulin Cruz not attending meetings with FEMA to help sort the situation out, no mention of the Governor of PR criticising Yulin Cruz for her lack of leadership and how the mayor Guayama praising the efforts of FEMA.
You see, Yulin Cruz is a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton and is using the disaster to make Trump look bad. There is enough food, fuel and medical supplies on the docks to keep the island going for six months, not to mention construction material also on the docks.
But Trump handing out a golf award is the headline. No wonder he calls it all Fake News.
@Daniel Dunne: really? Why is that not being reported? Where did you see it?
@Dave O Keeffe: I’ve seen it from independent journalists on social media but not one mainstream outlet will touch it. There are audio clips of anonymous police reporters calling US radio stations pleading for the aid to be distributed by the US military.
@Simon O’Connor: Police officers even
@Dave O Keeffe: FEMA criticises Yulin Cruz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJToyGJQqIg
@Daniel Dunne: wasn’t that guy in an office in Washington? It’s a big accusation coming from that distance.
He really hasn’t got a clue.
@Jane: It’s worse than that. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
I’m sure the people of PR are honoured. Oh no wait they’ve no electricity.
He is about as useful as Anne Frank’s drum kit.
Trump the Tosspot
I am beginning to read everything he says in his accent.
I really need to stop doing that.
@Dave Sherman: Try reading it in the voice of Kanye West.
@Ben McArthur: I read it in the voice of a 3 year old. It then starts to make sense.
Someone who thinks he uses the word great in every sentence it makes everything alright.
Does.my head in.
Big water. Ocean water.
Another non-story by the Journal for the Anti-Trump sheep to comment on.
@John Molloy: Ya think? In fact it is a very pertinent story because it illustrates so well what a complete idiot the man is.
@Deborah Blacoe: I think the Journal and the media in general are very Anti-Trump.Im not his biggest fan but it’s some witch hunt against him.
@John Molloy: reporting what he does is not an anti-trump, he loves the attention. If he was ignored he’d come up with even more ridiculous ways to get attention
@John Molloy: calling him out for blatant hypocrisy is not a witch hunt.
@John Molloy: was it a non story when Trump was lambasting Obama for playing golf? Trump certainly didn’t seem to think so.
@John Molloy: Yes, you are probably right. Having said that, this story IS important. I just cannot think of anything more moronic that he could do to illustrate the fact that he is just not clued in.
@John Molloy: Is anything they said untrue? Because if it’s not, it’s not a witch-hunt, it’s just news.
@Jane: well said!!
And I named my morning shit in his honour
@Tommy Chen: Good man Tommy.
@Tommy Chen: Why did you feel the need to insult it like that?
@Tommy Chen: Best comment ever. I name you as winner of the Internet today.
@Larissa Caroline Nikolaus:
Its not an insult. You sound like a person who was never brought up using curse words.
@Din8rtd: Yeah, think that one went right over your head buddy.
@Tommy Chen: why, was it yellow?
@Tommy Chen: Calling a well formed morning bowel movement a trump. Is just insulting to all shits.
A trump is a thing that consume’ s the effluent of bottom feeders then regurgitates it as the truth.
“We have it under really great control” surprised he did not manage to squeeze “tremendous” in there somewhere. I’m sure the people of PR are delighted with the dedication, but would probable prefer electricity and running water maybe, just a thought I could be wrong!
@tony galvin: Yeah but while they have no electricity they can’t tell us how wrong he really is.
If you listen really careful you can hear an entire nation facepalm….
@epo eire: An entire nation? Except for the millions of brainless idiots that voted for him and think he’s doing a great job.
Troll-in-Chief
Puerto Ricans don’t vote. Simple.
@Dermot Lane: they can’t vote is more like it
He’s a insult to Americans.
He proves that democracy is deeply flawed and the trouble with it is he’s not the exception.
Nero fiddles while rome burns comes to mind…. what a clown.!!!!
@Patrick j Brady: At least Nero could fiddle……….
@Larry Doyle: Trump can fiddle too
@Francis Mc Carthy: his taxes
He dedicated a trophy he didn’t win haha it’s not for him to dedicate someone else’s trophy the absolute goon
Why do leftist love to speak in cliche’s? Genuine question.
@Jonathan Byrne: cliche is what?
He is about as useful as an ashtry on a motorbike and about as welcome as a fart in a wetsuit. An idiot of the highest order and a dangerous fool.
Fair play to Mr Trump.
Is it REALLY Trump’s fault that 50 are now dead in Vegas, and 200+ injured!!!
@Fank Pulman: who said that? Nobody. Just you.
@Fank Pulman: no. But if the person was recently allowed to buy a gun after previously being denied for mental health reasons then he may well need to shoulder a small portion of the blame as the person that overturned that law.
This pouring over every word and tweet Trump utters to reinforce a stereotype is getting boring Zzzzzz Zzzzzz Zzzzzzz
@Stephen Duffy: what stereotype?
Thought that was ‘Waterford whispers’ for a minute
He’s a c ** t
I’ve just read this – I thought it described the problems better for people who don’t play golf.
have your say