Trump accuses Democrats of inflating Puerto Rico death toll

President Donald Trump on Thursday cast doubt on the official death toll from Hurricane Maria, saying that when he left the island last year there were only “6 to 18 deaths,” and accused “Democrats” of exaggerating the numbers in order to smear his image.

The tweet comes after Trump praised his administration this week for its response to Hurricane Maria, calling it an “incredible, unsung success” — comments that garnered fierce backlash from Puerto Rican officials and mainland Democrats as insensitive. Though initial estimates for the death toll from the storm and its aftermath hovered at 64, a study released this summer raised the number to nearly 3,000.

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“3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000…” Trump tweeted. “…..This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!”

The study was conducted by George Washington University and was requested by the federal government. It was unclear which Democrats the president was referring to, though he has openly feuded with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz for hurricane response.

Trump’s comments on Maria come as he asserts his administration’s proactive preparation for Hurricane Florence and shifts blame for his administration’s sluggish response to last year’s massive storm on Puerto Rico’s leadership and poor infrastructure.

“We got A Pluses for our recent hurricane work in Texas and Florida (and did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico, even though an inaccessible island with very poor electricity and a totally incompetent Mayor of San Juan). We are ready for the big one that is coming!” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.