Nearly 3,000 people died in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico but if you listen to President Donald Trump, that never happened.
Yes, he really is denying that 3,000 people died because of the hurricane.
“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,” Trump said on Twitter on Thursday morning.
Trump said this despite the governor formally raising the death toll number from 64 to 2,976 after a study from The George Washington University.
Top Republicans broke from the President. “no reason to dispute those numbers,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan. “Those are just the facts of what happened.”
“I disagree with @POTUS– an independent study said thousands were lost and Gov. Rosselló agreed. I’ve been to Puerto Rico 7 times & saw devastation firsthand. The loss of any life is tragic; the extent of lives lost as a result of Maria is heart wrenching. I’ll continue to help PR,” Florida Senator Rick Scott said in a statement on Twitter.
Trump has continued to deny that his administration could have done more in the aftermath of the storm. Earlier this week, he praised his administration and said that his handling of the relief efforts were “an incredible, unsung success.”