Clinton: Puerto Rico is ‘most tragic’ example of Trump only serving his base

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called President Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico “the most tragic example” of him only catering to his supporters.

Michele Jawando, one of the hosts of “Thinking Cap,” a podcast by the Center for American Progress, asked Clinton on the podcast Monday about how Trump’s response to the hurricane showed his “neglect of communities of color.”

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“I think we’ve seen it for months now,” Clinton replied. “And I think Puerto Rico is the latest and most tragic example of having a president who is only the president for people who agree with him.”

“There’s not any real attempt to reach out beyond that base that he’s cultivated,” she added.

Clinton said she was “gobsmacked” by Trump’s tweets attacking San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who Trump criticized for her “poor leadership ability” during the response to the Category 4 storm.

Cruz has become the public face of the hurricane recovery and made an emotional plea for more assistance from the Trump administration one day before his critical tweets.

The former secretary of State also noted the lag in sending Navy help to Puerto Rico after the storm, referring to her own tweet demanding Trump and Defense Secretary James Mattis send a major hospital ship to the U.S. territory.

“This is the grossest kind of indifference and incompetence and we are losing lives,” Clinton said. “It’s beyond wrong.”

Clinton made the comments one day before Trump’s trip to Puerto Rico, during which he spoke with local officials and residents about the recovery from the hurricane.