Trump blasts ‘corrupt’ Puerto Rico’s leaders amid political crisis

President Trump on Thursday denounced Puerto Rico’s leaders as “corrupt” amid massive protests demanding the resignation of the island territory’s governor.

“I know the people of Puerto Rico well, and they are great. But much of their leadership is corrupt, & robbing the U.S. Government blind!” Trump tweeted.

{mosads}The president said Gov. Ricardo Rosselló is “under siege” and called San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, a vocal Trump critic, a “despicable and incompetent person who I wouldn’t trust under any circumstance.”

He also repeated his incorrect claim the island received $92 million in disaster relief after Hurricane Maria.

….of which was squandered away or wasted, never to be seen again. This is more than twice the amount given to Texas & Florida combined. I know the people of Puerto Rico well, and they are great. But much of their leadership is corrupt, & robbing the U.S. Government blind!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 18, 2019

“A lot of bad things are happening in Puerto Rico,” Trump tweeted.

Trump’s messages come after days of protests in which demonstrators have called on Rosselló to resign over a leaked group chat containing crude messages between him and his aides. The crisis has been heightened by the arrests of two top officials on corruption charges.

Puerto Rico’s government has been widely criticized for its response to Maria, which left thousands dead and devastated much of the island in 2017. But the Trump administration has also been the target of criticism for its disaster-relief efforts.

Trump himself was accused of being insensitive to hurricane victims when he threw paper towels into a crowd at a Puerto Rican church during a visit in October 2017.