Donald Trump visits Puerto Rico, tells survivors of Hurricane Maria they threw US budget 'out of whack'
Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria pummeled the island of Puerto Rico, Donald Trump touched down for the first time and downplayed the devastation
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Donald Trump met storm survivors in Puerto Rico and told them to be "proud" the island did not lose more lives to Hurricane Maria, on a trip designed to respond to criticism of his administration's response. AP
The US president, alongside First Lady Melania Trump, visited the middle class suburb of Guaynabo, walking among trees and signs felled two weeks ago by Maria's jet-blast winds. AP
"We saved a lot of lives," Trump said, comparing the outcome favorably to that of Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged New Orleans in 2005. "I hate to tell you Puerto Rico, but you threw our budget a little out of whack, but that's fine," he said. AP
Trump asked residents about their homes, posed for photos and stopped into a church along the way to shoot rolls of paper towel basketball-style into a crowd snapping pictures on their cellphones. AP
There has been anger in Puerto Rico that Trump chose to visit Guaynabo — a relatively affluent area, where most homes are of weather-proof concrete — unlike in the worst-hit areas of the island. AP