Tuesday, October 04, 2022

Biden, Trump on Puerto Rico: Darcy cartoon

Oct. 04, 2022


Instead of tossing paper towels in Puerto Rico as Trump did, President Biden tossed it an additional $60 million in hurricane relief aide. After tossing paper towels, Trump considered trading Puerto Rico for Greenland.


NEW!
By Jeff Darcy, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Donald Trump is making headlines for his social media post asking if Sen. Mitch McConnell has a “DEATH WISH” followed by a racist, xenophobic comment about Elaine Chow, McConnell’s wife and former member of Trump’s Cabinet. So it wouldn’t be surprising if Trump next asked if President Biden also has a death wish for traveling to Puerto Rico, which Trump has long disparaged and thought of trying to trade for Greenland in 2018.

In 2017 when President, Trump flew to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria and tossed a paper towel roll to a room full of hurricane victims. Then privately and on social media, made frequent disparaging remarks about the U.S. Territory. He also trash talked Puerto Rico at the time of Hurricane Dorian.

The most corrupt President of the United States, who was impeached multiple times and instigated an insurrection attack on the U.S. Capitol building, ripped Puerto Rico as corrupt, dirty, poor, not worthy of help because he claimed it owed Wall Street $ billions and its wounds were primarily self-inflicted. Trump, three of his children and his New York City Trump Organization have since been sued by the State of New York for $250 million on fraud charges.

Former Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff Myles Teller told MSNBC in 2018 that Trump had wanted to try and trade Puerto Rico for Greenland, a territory of Denmark. Trump’s trade pitch is also recounted in the new book “The Divider” by New Yorker writer Susan Glasser and her husband, Peter Baker of The New York Times.

Trump first tried to buy Greenland. When he was turned down by Denmark, he proposed to aides that the United States trade Puerto Rico for it. John Bolton then instructed his staff to explore that.



Biden Admin Aid to Puerto Rico:

Instead of going to Puerto Rico Monday to toss paper towel rolls or scope out its trade value, President Biden went to deliver an additional $60 million relief aid in response to Hurricane Fiona, which struck the island Sunday, Sept 18, as a category 1 storm before strengthening to a category 4.

Wednesday, President Biden will tour the damage in Florida from Hurricane Ian, which so far has left over 100 dead with the number expected to rise.

On Puerto Rico, 137,000 are still without power and 66,000 are still without food from Fiona. The $60 million Biden pledged is drawn from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that just passed and will be devoted to strengthening levees, walls and the flood warning system.

Prior to making his trip, President Biden tweeted that nearly $700 million in infrastructure investments in Puerto Rico have been announced since he signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Before President Biden spoke, Puerto Rico’s Governor asked to have the U.S. Fiona Emergency Declaration for Puerto Rico extended an additional 180 days. Biden assured him he will work to make that happen.

POLITICO reports that since Biden became President, $ billions that had been set aside for Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria have finally started to move to the island.

Frankie Miranda, President/CEO of the Hispanic Federation, said of the Biden administration response:

“It’s night and day when it comes to previous administration.”






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