President Donald Trump meets with Governor Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017, in Washington.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gave himself a “10” on Thursday for his response to the widespread devastation Puerto Rico suffered after back-to-back hurricanes created a situation that the island’s governor described as “catastrophic” as he met with Trump at the White House.
More than 80 percent of households in Puerto Rico remain without electricity about a month after Hurricane Maria, the second storm, dealt the island a severe blow. Asked when the 3.4 million U.S. citizens living there could expect power to be fully restored, Trump replied: “It’s a very, very good question, actually.”
Trump said it will take “a while” to build a new power plant or substantially renovate what was damaged by the storms. The president said most of the power that exists is being supplied by the “massive numbers” of generators he sent to the island.
“There’s never been a case where power plants were gone,” Trump said, seated alongside Gov. Ricardo Rossello in the Oval Office. “So it’s going to be a period of time before the electric is restored.”
Trump was also asked by a reporter to rate, on a scale of 1 to 10, the White House response to Puerto Rico.
“I’d say it was a 10,” Trump said. “I’d say it was probably the most difficult — when you talk about relief, when you talk about search, when you talk about all the different levels, and even when you talk about lives saved, you look at the number — I mean, this was — I think it was worse than Katrina, it was, in many ways, worse than anything people have ever seen.”
Trump said the administration had personnel nearby before the storm hit, ready to go afterward, and that a “fantastic job” was done under the circumstances.
“I would give a 10,” he repeated.
During a visit to Puerto Rico earlier this month to survey damage, Trump compared what happened there to a “real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans in 2005, killing hundreds when levees broke and flooded the city. Trump’s comment was interpreted by some as minimizing Puerto Rico’s suffering at a time when residents were struggling to get food and clean drinking water, and coping without electricity.
Seated beside Trump, Rossello tried to strike an upbeat note despite saying “it’s a catastrophic situation” in Puerto Rico. But he said, “We are going to beat this. We know we’re going to build better than before,” he said.
Rossello has been supportive of Trump, saying again Thursday that every request he’s made of the president has been answered. The governor, who also met with key lawmakers on Capitol Hill, said Trump “has been clear that no U.S. citizen will be left behind.”
Andrew Harnik, The Associated Press
President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. and then on to Puerto Rico.
Gerald Herbert, The Associated Press
Jose Garcia Vicente walks through rubble of his destroyed home, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico while the Trump administration sought to blunt criticism that its response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of it efforts in Texas and Florida after the recent hurricanes there.
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, The Washington Post
A destroyed group of houses in Juncos, Puerto Rico, as seen Friday from the air.
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, The Washington Post
Aerial photo of flooding in the costal town of Loiza, on the north shore of Puerto Rico. New estimates say 4,500 died as a result of Hurricane Maria which hit the island in 2017.
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, The Washington Post
Aerial view of the devastation at Palma Real Shopping Center in Humacao, a municipality on the east side of Puerto Rico.
Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo, The Washington Post
Puerto Rico is experiencing major flooding in numerous areas, including San Juan, shown in an aerial image Friday.
MC3 Brittany Tobin, U.S. Navy via AP
Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Taryn Armington and Sonar Technician (Surface) Seaman Darian Joseph prepare to cast off mooring lines for the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) as the ship departs Naval Station Norfolk to support hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 in Norfolk, Va.. The Department of Defense is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency, in helping those affected by Hurricane Maria to minimize suffering and is one component of the overall whole-of-government response effort.
Hector Retamal, AFP/Getty Images
Residents of San Juan, Puerto Rico, deal with damages to their homes on Sept. 20, 2017, as Hurricane Maria batters the island.
Maria slammed into Puerto Rico on Wednesday, cutting power on most of the US territory as terrified residents hunkered down in the face of the island's worst storm in living memory. After leaving a deadly trail of destruction on a string of smaller Caribbean islands, Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico's southeast coast around daybreak, packing winds of around 150mph (240kph).
Ricardo Arduengo, AFP/Getty Images
A man gestures as he walks through a debris covered road as Hurricane Maria hits Puerto Rico in Fajardo, on Sept. 20, 2017.
Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico, pummeling the US territory after already killing at least two people on its passage through the Caribbean. The US National Hurricane Center warned of "large and destructive waves" as Maria came ashore near Yabucoa on the southeast coast.
Alex Wroblewski, Getty Images
Felled trees cover the roads in the Miramar neighborhood after Hurricane Maria made landfall on Sept. 20, 2017 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Thousands of people have sought refuge in shelters, and electricity and phone lines have been severely effected.
Hector Retamal, AFP/Getty Images
Librada is seen at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum refuge in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 19, 2017, prior the arrival of Hurricane Maria. She left voluntarily of her house to take refuge.
Maria headed towards the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico after battering the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, with the US National Hurricane Center warning of a "potentially catastrophic" impact.
A picture taken on September 6, 2017, shows damage in Public, near Gustavia, on the French Caribbean island of Saint-Barthelemy, after it was hit by Hurricane Irma.
At least 25 people have died as Hurricane Irma has pounded the Caribbean: 10 in the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, six in British overseas territories, four in the US Virgin Islands, two in Puerto Rico and two in the Dutch part of Saint Martin and one in Barbuda. Ravaged by Hurricane Irma, Saint Martin and Saint Barts escaped a further battering by Jose, which had "markedly less" of an impact on the two Caribbean islands than anticipated, France's meteorological agency said on September 10. VALENTINE AUTRUFFE/AFP/Getty Images
Andrew Harnik, The Associated Press
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President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. and then on to Puerto Rico.
Members of Congress from both parties have criticized the response to Puerto Rico as lackluster compared to the administration’s reaction after hurricanes in Houston and parts of Louisiana, and later in Florida.
The mayor of San Juan has also been a vocal critic of the response and of some of Trump’s comments on Twitter.
Trump said he has given his “blessing” to Congress for a funding plan to help the debt-ridden island pay for the new power station. The electrical grid was in poor shape long before the storm hit.
The president also sought to clarify a tweet from earlier this month that seemed to suggest he was ready to cut off federal assistance to the U.S. territory, saying FEMA, the military and first responders can’t stay “in P.R. forever!”
Trump said Thursday that “at a certain point,” FEMA and other agencies have to leave the locations where the U.S. goes to help.
“I think the governor understands that FEMA, the military, the first responders cannot be there forever,” he said. “And no matter where you go, they cannot be there forever.”
