The president continued tweeting all day, complaining that "his people" weren't getting enough credit and rattling off statistics as if they proved something. At various points on Saturday he also brought up the NFL controversy again and even tweeted out a video of people standing for the anthem that turned out to be a year old.
Naturally Trump also began to suggest that the reports coming from the island were "fake news." That's become his stock answer for all criticism, although in this case it made even less sense than usual. Was he actually suggesting that the footage people were seeing on television was staged? This tweet may be the most ridiculous of that series:
Let's see: Only 5 percent of Puerto Rico has power. There is no internet. Other than that, his claims made perfect sense. Puerto Ricans on the U.S. mainland, however,
were not impressed with his excuses.
Trump was clearly enraged by Cruz and her emotional appeals for help. He kept mentioning how grateful the governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rosselló, was for everything Trump has done, even calling him "Ricky" at one point. He made a great show of complimenting by name those officials who have shown proper fealty to him during the crisis and made it quite clear that genuflecting to his power is the smart move if they expect results.
On Sunday, he continued to insult the mayor:
We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates people are now starting to recognize the amazing work that has been done by FEMA and our great Military. All buildings now inspected . . .
Of course that's not true. All buildings have not been inspected, and emergency supplies of water, food and medicine have not yet reached all who need them. Nobody knew what he was talking about. Not wishing to jab the hornet's nest, Rosselló very gingerly told CNN that he was "
not aware" of such inspections. After all, there are entire areas of the island that nobody's even heard from yet.
Trump didn't mention the mayor by name, but it was clear she is the "politically motivated ingrate" to whom he refers in his tweet. By this time, toadies seeking Trump's favor had taken up the cause. A
fellow mayor accused her of not attending FEMA meetings, saying she wants to run for governor.
He told the Daily Caller that everything is going just great. Geraldo Rivera of Fox News, no doubt knowing that Trump would see him, confronted the mayor himself, saying, "I don't see people dying," which proves nothing but will make the president happy.
There's no point in asking why Trump couldn't be the bigger man and not insult and degrade the mayor of a stricken city facing an urgent humanitarian crisis. We know he can't do that. But there is a method to his madness, the same method all bullies use: He's using Cruz as an example for others. If you want his support, you'll think twice about criticizing him.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said it plainly on "Meet the Press," when asked by Chuck Todd why the president would go after Cruz under these trying circumstances: "When the president gets attacked, he attacks back."
What we are watching unfold in Puerto Rico has strong echoes of colonial despotism, with demands that the natives pay proper respect to the crown. Trump isn't a king, but he is an authoritarian by temperament and demands that he be treated like one. There are plenty of people who are willing to play the role of courtier and sycophant, like House Speaker Paul Ryan, who proclaimed, "
His heart's in the right place," when asked if he thought Trump was bringing people together. Ryan knows he isn't. It's just that he's seen how Trump publicly humiliated Mitch McConnell and got the message loud and clear.