Puerto Rico gov tweets ‘#PuertoRicoIsTheUSA’ after WH spokesman refers to it as ‘that country’

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló tweeted “#PuertoRicoIsTheUSA” after a White House spokesman referred to the island in an interview as “that country.”

#PuertoRicoIsTheUSA

— Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello) April 2, 2019

White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said he made a mistake when he referred to Puerto Rico as “that country” twice in an MSNBC interview. When host Hallie Jackson asked Gidley if the reference was a “slip of the tongue,” Gidley replied, “That was a mistake. … Yes, 100 percent.”

Discussing Trump lashing out at Puerto Ricans and complaining they’ve received too much money, White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley twice refers to Puerto Rico as “that country” pic.twitter.com/GbzhWOniYU

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 2, 2019

In the interview, Gidley criticized Puerto Rico’s use of the disaster relief aid it was given after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017.