Jake Tapper: Trump ‘Seems To Think’ He’s The ‘Real Victim’ When It Comes To Puerto Rico
Over the past few days, President Donald Trump has unleashed a series of tweets in which he’s spread baseless conspiracies that the Puerto Rico death toll is a hoax pushed created by Democrats in order to make him personally look bad. At the end of today’s State of the Union, CNN anchor Jake Tapper pointed out how the leader of the free world was playing the victim when it came to Hurricane Maria.
“President Trump making it clear this week that when it came to the national tragedy caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, he seems to think that the real victim is him,” Tapper said. “The president continuing to dispute the official death toll of close to 3,000 people in Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria, saying Democrats made up the number, quote, like magic.”
The CNN host went on to explain that the president is combining some of his favorite activities — blaming Democrats, soothing his ego, and “carelessly spreading conspiracy theories without ever issuing a fraction of proof to back up what he’s saying.”
After highlighting other conspiracies the president has peddled — thousands of American Muslims celebrating 9/11, Ted Cruz’s father helping assassinate JFK, millions of illegal voters voting for Hillary Clinton — Tapper said that POTUS now dismisses the Puerto Rico death toll and takes an undeserved victory lap around an island still suffering” while another deadly storm hits the country.
“Taking issue with the methodology of the study is one thing but dismissing those numbers as an attempt to victimize him, that’s another,” the CNN host declared.
After bringing up the Puerto Rico governor’s offer to walk Trump through the death toll study, Tapper ended his segment with this observation:
“I hope you consider sending a message of support to say you stand with all of the U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico that lost loved ones. It would be an act of respect and empathy. On election night, Mr. trump pledged to be a president for all Americans. Puerto Ricans are Americans, too, Mr. president.”
Watch the clip above, via CNN.
