WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump arrived in Puerto Rico on Tuesday and offered the hurricane-ravaged U.S. citizens the one item he could _ not a truckload of drinkable water or fuel, but Trump himself and his team.
Trump's day was one of countermessaging about his administration's widely panned Puerto Rico relief efforts. He used a briefing minutes after he landed there to congratulate his team and solicit praise from Puerto Rican officials _ lightly coaching them on what they should say.
Congressional Republicans largely ignored Trump's salesman-like message, focusing instead on FEMA and U.S. military relief efforts.
As many Puerto Ricans were still without drinking water, medication, food, electricity and fuel, Trump delivered tough love. "You've thrown our budget a little out of whack," Trump told local officials about the federal disaster relief effort there, later noting it is both "dangerous" and "expensive."
The GOP president has hammered the U.S. commonwealth for expecting federal aid _ angering many congressional Democrats. "Mr. President, enough," Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said of Trump's critical tone.
For critics who contend the administration has overseen an ineffective response, he defended his own performance and that of his government.
Trump even used the death toll _ at that time it was 16 _ to describe his administration's efforts as a major success. He said Hurricane Maria, with its Category 5-level winds, was not a "real catastrophe" like Hurricane Katrina.
"Every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina ... hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here, with really a storm that was just totally overpowering, nobody's ever seen anything like this," Trump said.
"Sixteen people ... versus in the thousands," he said to local officials at Muniz Air National Guard Base.
When one local official praised local-federal communications, Trump described his government's efforts as "a miracle."
Despite widespread destruction and suffering, Trump declared it a "great trip" and praised members of his administration, whom he referred to as "my people."
Brock Long, his FEMA administrator, "has been unbelievable," Trump declared.
Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan was "a general for a reason," Trump declared.
Thomas Bossert, his top homeland security adviser, has done a "great job," Trump declared.
Before leaving Washington, Trump gave himself and his team "an A-plus" for relief efforts in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Hours later, Trump claimed storm victims were praising him: "Great-looking family and they said, 'Thank you, Mr. President.'"
Some hurricane victims at one of his final stops shined flashlights, but Trump declared, "You don't need them anymore!" _ though much of the island remains in the dark.
On Capitol Hill, Republicans opted against criticizing the president, focusing instead on relief efforts generally.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., left Trump out of his response to a reporter's question: "I try to discount a lot of the political rhetoric because I know the people at FEMA."
Rep. Roger Williams was one Texas Republican who criticized Trump and Democratic leaders for packaging Hurricane Harvey relief with debt ceiling and government-funding legislation. On Tuesday, he lauded Trump for putting Buchanan in charge, and for deploying military personnel.
"I don't know what else you can do," Williams said.
Back on the island, Trump at one point reverted to the role of consoler-in-chief, a familiar tone struck by presidents amid crises. He told one family, "We're going to help you out." But even Trump suggested a force other than his government played a major role in keeping the death toll at that time under 20.
"You know who helped them?" he said about one family rescued from their devastated home. "God helped them."
