A local economist projected that the wreckage may have set back Puerto Rico’s economy so much that it will now take more than a decade to recover.
Trump said Monday that aid operations in Puerto Rico are “very tough” because the island “was in very poor shape before the hurricanes ever hit.” The island had more than $70 billion in debt before Maria landed.
The president has faced criticism for an apparent lack of empathy for Puerto Rico amid the disaster response.
During a trip to the island earlier this month, Trump said the hurricane destruction had thrown his administration’s budget “a little out of whack.” Later that day, he tossed packages of paper towels to hurricane victims.
While Trump has said his administration has done a great job responding to the crisis on the island, a recent poll found that most voters disagreed. Fifty-five percent of American voters say the Trump administration has not done enough to help the U.S. territory after Hurricane Maria struck, according to a Quinnipiac poll released last week.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that Puerto Rico faced $70 billion in debt before Hurricane Maria hit. A previous version misstated that figure.
