Biden’s Puerto Rico Visit In Sharp Contrast To Donald Trump’s Paper Towel Pitch

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Oct. 3, 2022: President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited Puerto Rico today in a visit that vastly contrasted to Donald Trump’s paper throwing debacle of 2017.

President Biden spoke in Ponce, Puerto Rico this afternoon, pledging future support for the island as it still deals with the impact of Hurricane Fiona. Biden also announced $60mn in federal funding that will come from the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed last year.

First Lady Jill Biden participated in a community service project to help those impacted by Hurricane Fiona at Centro Sor Isolina Ferre Aguayo School in Ponce.

US First Lady Jill Biden (C) participates in a community service project while visiting Centro Sor Isolina Ferre Aguayo School in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on October 3, 2022. – Fiona has left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean and killed four people in Puerto Rico, according to a US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden flews to Puerto Rico on Monday to inspect storm damage, saying in a veiled jab at his predecessor Donald Trump that the territory had not “been taken very good care of” during a crippling series of past hurricanes.

When Hurricane Maria hit the island on October 3, 2017, Trump visited and thew out paper towels to after being criticized for the government’s inadequate response. Trump threw out paper towel rolls as he visited the Cavalry Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on October 3, 2017 as much of the island remained then short of food and without access to power or drinking water.

TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump throws a paper towel roll as he visits the Cavalry Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico on October 3, 2017. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

An estimated 120,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Puerto Rico on Monday, two weeks after Hurricane Fiona caused an island-wide outage for its 3.3 million people.

Fiona hit Puerto Rico on Sept. 18th, about five years after Hurricane Maria also knocked out all power on the island.