Trump Doesn't Mention Puerto Rican Hurricane Victims at FEMA Hurricane Preparedness Event

I have not yet reached a moment where I feel like I can't hate Donald Trump any more than I already hate him, because literally every single day there is something that makes me hate him even more.

Josh Dawsey at the Washington Post: In Private FEMA Remarks, Trump's Focus Strays from Hurricanes.

The meeting was supposed to be about hurricane preparedness, as disaster officials gathered at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters days after the start of the 2018 season.

But [Donald] Trump had a lot else on his mind, turning the closed-door discussion into soliloquies on his prowess in negotiating airplane deals, his popularity, the effectiveness of his political endorsements, the Republican Party's fortunes, the vagaries of Defense Department purchasing guidelines, his dislike of magnetized launch equipment on aircraft carriers, his unending love of coal, and his breezy optimism about his planned Singapore summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"It's an interesting journey. It's called the land of the unknown — who knows? We'll maybe make a deal. Maybe not. As I say to everybody, are you going to make a deal?" Trump said, according to audio of the FEMA meeting obtained by The Washington Post. "Maybe and maybe not. Who knows?"

The president's 40-minute briefing session behind closed-doors came after he spoke to cameras for about 15 minutes. He briefly referred to Puerto Rico — where health authorities now estimate there were about 1,400 additional deaths following Hurricane Maria, compared to the same period the previous year. The Trump administration was roundly criticized for its performance, and hundreds of thousands in the U.S. territory remain without electricity.

Trump did not mention Puerto Rico's victims but thanked Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) for helping and noted that the power company was "in bankruptcy prior to the hurricane." He said the recovery was a "tough job." He also mentioned Puerto Rico in passing once with the cameras rolling.

"1,400 additional deaths" is the estimate of Puerto Rican health officials. A recent Harvard study estimated a number closer to 4,600.

In any case, many people died as the result of Hurricane Maria and its after-effects in Puerto Rico. And Trump couldn't even be bothered to fucking mention them over the course of an hour — neither in his on-camera remarks nor the subsequent briefing session.

I am filthy angry about his sociopathic indifference to Puerto Rico, where many people are still struggling.

And I am filthy angry that there is seemingly no malice he can commit so obscene that the members of his vile party in the Congressional majority can be moved to hold him accountable.

And I grieve when I contemplate the damage he has left to do.

I take up space in solidarity with the people of Puerto Rico. Here are a few things you can do to support them.