Watch Donald Trump Mock Puerto Rican Accents at Hispanic Heritage Event
Just when you thought President Donald Trump couldn’t find another way to demean the suffering U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico, he managed to find a way. Speaking at an event celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, Trump broke out an imitation of a Puerto Rican accent when talking about the hurricane-ravaged territory.
“Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico. We love Puerto Rico,” he said, while First Lady Melania Trump grimaced by his side. (Melania Trump was born in Slovenia and herself speaks English with an accent—and speaks several other languages.) You can see for yourself in this video:
Trump has faced widespread backlash for his response to Hurricane Maria compared to how he dealt with the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which struck Texas and Florida. During his visit to Puerto Rico on Tuesday, he made several bizarre statements, saying it had “thrown our budget a little out of whack, because we’ve spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico and that’s fine,” and praising the island for dealing with a death toll smaller (so far) than Hurricane Katrina. He also tossed rolls of paper towels into a crowd of displaced people at one appearance. More than two weeks after Maria struck the island nation, most of the island is still without basic necessities like water, power, and cell phone service.