President Donald Trump says the federal government is “ready” for Hurricane Florence, whose Category 4 winds are barreling toward Virginia and the Carolinas.
Trump says his “successful” response in Puerto Rico is proof that he’s ready for Florence
Nearly 3,000 people in Puerto Rico died from Hurricane Maria and FEMA’s poor response.
According to Trump, the government’s “incredibly successful” response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year is proof that he has everything handled.
Trump made these remarks Tuesday at the White House during a public briefing on the hurricane with Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A reporter had asked Trump what lessons he learned from Hurricane Maria, and how he has applied them to the government’s emergency plan for Hurricane Florence. (Right now, Florence is just as powerful as Maria was when it slammed into Puerto Rico.)
Trump clearly didn’t think there were any lessons to learn from the deadliest natural disaster in modern US history. He didn’t mention the nearly 3,000 Americans who died from the storm, or FEMA’s delay in approving crucial disaster aid to Puerto Rico, or the fact that FEMA hired inexperienced contractors, including one that failed to deliver millions of emergency meals to hurricane survivors.
Not only has he apparently not learned any lessons from that, but he now wants credit for the amazing way he handled the disaster.
“I actually think it’s one of the best jobs that’s ever been done,” Trump told reporters.
Listen to his comments for yourself:
You can follow all of Vox’s coverage of Hurricane Florence here.
