Donald Trump makes stunning claim that 3,000 people did not die in Hurricane Maria

Donald Trump on a visit to Puerto Rico last year after Hurricane Maria. He tweeted on Thursday: '3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico'
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
James Morris13 September 2018

US president Donald Trump has made a stunning claim that 3,000 people did not die in last year's Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

As Hurricane Florence bears down on the US, Mr Trump argued without evidence that the number was wrong and called it a plot by Democrats to make him look bad.

The president tweeted on Thursday: “3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000...

“.....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. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!”

The president's tweets drew the ire of Carmen Yulin Cruz, mayor of San Juan. She was a sharp critic of Mr Trump after Hurricane Maria.

She wrote on Twitter: "This is what denial following neglect looks like: Mr Pres in the real world people died on your watch. YOUR LACK OF RESPECT IS APPALLING!"

The mayor, who has previously feuded with Mr Trump, continued in a series of posts: "Mr President no matter how much you try your “true colors” come shining thru. Unfortunately you just can’t help it. You just can’t get it.

"Mr Trump you can try and bully us with your tweets BUT WE KNOW OUR LIVES MATTER. You will never take away our self respect. Shame on you!

"Simply put: delusional, paranoid, and unhinged from any sense of reality. Trump is so vain he thinks this is about him. NO IT IS NOT."

Donald Trump walks past hurricane wreckage in Puerto Rico last year (Reuters)
REUTERS

With Hurricane Florence about to hit the Carolinas, the Trump administration is under pressure after facing severe criticism for its handling of Maria.

Ysamar Figueroa, carrying her son Saniel, looks at the damage in Canovanas, Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria last year
Reuters

Mr Trump this week defended his efforts in Puerto Rico, to widespread criticism. He called it an "incredible, unsung success".

Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rossello, last month raised the official Maria death toll from 64 to 2,975. An independent study had found the number of people who succumbed in the sweltering aftermath had been severely undercounted.

The 2,975 estimate was made by researchers at George Washington University. The study said the original estimates were so low because doctors on the island had not been trained to properly classify deaths after a natural disaster.

Governor Rossello said Maria was "the worst natural disaster in our modern history" and that work remained before the island could move on to other stages of recovery.

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