Just for the record, Mayor of San Juan Carmen Yulín Cruz has no “time for distractions” like political fights
There’s a lot of devastation going on in Puerto Rico right now. San Juan’s mayor, Carmen Yulín Cruz, has issued several pleas for help from the U.S. government on behalf of Puerto Rican citizens. President Trump responded with barbed tweets that seemed to accuse the Puerto Rican officials of being the cause of their own misfortune…after a hurricane devastated their infrastructure.
Mayor Cruz has been very candid about the issues Puerto Ricans are facing. Her initial comments to the press have been matter-of-a-fact and pointed towards getting relief efforts for the island.
"We are dying here," Carmen Yulín Cruz shared. "And I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out the logistics for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles. So, mayday, we are in trouble. I will do what I never thought I was going to do: I am begging. I am begging anyone that can hear us to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying. And you are killing us with the inefficiency and bureaucracy."
So President Trump got on Twitter and responded with an odd forcefulness, seeming to blame “fake news” and Democrats for the lack of relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/914087234869047296
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/914089003745468417
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/914089888596754434
The most generous interpretation of these statements is still pretty awful. It reads like Trump is saying that Puerto Rican officials aren’t trying hard enough, and that they can’t get their own citizens on board. The news of this response got back to Mayor Cruz — and with all of her relief efforts right now, she simply doesn’t have time for it.
Carmen Yulín Cruz isn’t here for a fight. She’s here to help.
MAYOR OF SAN JUAN @CARMENYULINCRUZ
Responds to #Trump tweets:
I have no time for distractions… #AMJoy
https://t.co/0iiQl6HHUl— Formerly 'AM JOY' on @MSNBC (@amjoyshow) September 30, 2017
In another moment of speaking with the press, Cruz talked about the personal attacks from the President a bit more candidly, saying,
"I don’t care. He can attack me all he wants, you know, bring it on, I’m here, if it saves lives. If it gets the message in the right place, frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn."
And for the record, it certainly doesn’t seem to have slowed down her work.
The Mayor of San Juan is wading through sewage, searching for people with a bullhorn while @realDonaldTrump insults her on twitter. pic.twitter.com/hO5iZ1PICj
— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) September 30, 2017
The mayor of San Juan is leading like a woman: integrity, compassion, honesty and strength. pic.twitter.com/kVeDWTlnKA
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) September 30, 2017
If anything, it’s only encouraged more people to get involved in helping to save Puerto Rico. And it even inspired some public figures, like Lin-Manuel Miranda, to come to Cruz’s aid.
She has been working 24/7.
You have been GOLFING.
You're going straight to hell.
Fastest golf cart you ever took. https://t.co/5hOY23MBvQ— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) September 30, 2017
If you’d like to donate to Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico, here’s what you can do.
You can go to UNICEF, The Hispanic Federation, and United for Puerto Rico to donate. Like Cruz says, there’s no time for politics right now — only time to save lives.
