President Trump says his fight with the NFL has not prevented him from attending to the disaster in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Trump defended himself and the government during a White House Rose Garden press conference Tuesday afternoon.
Trump was asked about criticism that he has paid too much attention to the debate over football players kneeling during the national anthem and not enough attention to relief work in Puerto Rico. Congressional Democrats have said that his tweets about the NFL show he doesn’t grasp the severity of the crisis.
“I have plenty of time on my hands,” said Trump, “all I do is work.”
The president said that respect for the country is important and that those who kneel during the playing of the national anthem are “disgraceful.”
“It doesn’t take me long to put out a wrong,” he said about the NFL controversy “and maybe we’ll get it right.”
The president said that he’ll visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday. He described a “massive” effort underway in Puerto Rico that includes FEMA unloading water and supplies on an hourly basis. He said the federal government is also helping with security as the Puerto Rican police force has been “decimated” with police needed to attend to their families who lost their homes during Hurricane Maria.
Trump described the disaster in Puerto Rico as unprecedented – noting that the island got hit by two historic hurricanes within weeks. He also said the nation suffered because its electrical grid was in poor shape even before the storm.
Trump also used the occasion to highlight growing global support for efforts to isolate North Korea. He thanked Spain for expelling its North Korean ambassador, the UN Security Council for voting unanimously twice on resolutions against North Korea and for China’s move to break off banking relations with North Korea.
He said the U.S. is prepared to use the “military option” against North Korea but would prefer not to have to go that route. “If we take it, it will be devastating for North Korea,” he said.
The president blamed previous administrations going back 25 years for the crisis with North Korea, saying he was left with “a mess but I’ll fix the mess.”
