He accused Puerto Ricans of throwing the federal budget “out of whack.”
He suggested Puerto Rico had not experienced a “real catastrophe” like Hurricane Katrina, since a mere “16 people” had been confirmed dead.
He told a family of hurricane victims to “have a good time.”
He tossed paper towels to another group of victims, in a church, as if he was shooting basketball free throws.
He told a third group of victims that they don’t need flashlights any longer, though 90 per cent of the island was still without power.
He refused to speak to the mayor of San Juan.
And, as usual, Donald Trump congratulated himself.
Facing withering criticism for his delayed and then belligerent response to the Puerto Rican hurricane crisis, Trump’s Tuesday visit to San Juan was a chance to begin to repair the wounds he had caused over a week of tweeted insults.
Instead he casually tore them open, a smile on his face.
In a frequently abnormal afternoon on the island, Trump showed none of the scripted gravitas of his sombre Monday response to the massacre in Las Vegas. Speaking without notes, he behaved as if the ongoing crisis had long since been fixed by his own doing.
It was vintage Trump — informal, freewheeling, self-centred, detached from facts, wholly unlike the behaviour of any other modern president.
His supporters applauded again, pointing to his authenticity and moments of empathy. Puerto Ricans already upset with him before he landed were infuriated.
He was a national embarrassment.