The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico blasted President Donald Trump this week over the federal government's response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island.
"He was disrespectful to the Puerto Rican people, he was disrespectful to the American people who were leaving their homes to come help us here," San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told ABC News.
"Where he needed to be a commander in chief, he was a disaster-in-chief. President Trump does not embody the values of the good-hearted American people that have made sure that we are not forgotten."
After Maria leveled the U.S. territory in September, Cruz criticized Trump for what she saw was a lackluster response compared to how federal authorities handled hurricane-affected areas in Texas and Florida. The powerful storm made landfall on Puerto Rico on Sept. 20.
Cruz told ABC she is grateful for everyone who helped out on her island in some way.
"Where others looked away, the American people and the Diaspora and the Latinos and Hispanics looked our way," she said. "Don't forget us. I for one am grateful for all the Americans that have stood with San Juan and Puerto Rico."
Puerto Rico's official death toll from Maria is 55, but that number could actually be closer to 500, according to a recent report.
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