President Trump arrived Tuesday in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico for briefings with local officials days after sparring with the mayor of San Juan over the administration’s response to the devastation.
The president, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, landed at Luis Muñiz Air National Guard Base in San Juan before noon local time.
According to the White House, Trump will receive briefings on Hurricane Maria relief efforts and visit with storm victims while in Puerto Rico. He will also meet with senior military personnel and government officials, including Ricardo Rosselló, the governor of Puerto Rico, and Kenneth Mapp, the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which was also severely damaged by the storm.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who has criticized the president’s actions since the storm wreaked havoc on the territory last month, is expected to participate in a briefing with Trump, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
Trump fired back at Cruz over the weekend, praising other local officials for their efforts while slamming her “poor leadership ability.”
Trump downplayed the spat with the mayor when asked about it by reporters when he departed the White House on Tuesday.
“Well, I think she’s come back a long way,” Trump said. “I think it’s now acknowledged what a great job we’ve done, and people are looking at that. And in Texas and in Florida, we get an A+. And I’ll tell you what, I think we’ve done just as good in Puerto Rico, and it’s actually a much tougher situation.”
But Trump added: “On a local level, they have to give us more help.”
