Poll: One in four Americans believe Trump's Puerto Rico death toll theory
The death toll from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico has recently been questioned by President Trump.
After a report conducted by researchers at George Washington University found that nearly 3,000 people died from the Hurricane, Trump tweeted, “3,000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths.”
“When Trump visited the island territory last October, OFFICIALS told him in a briefing 16 PEOPLE had died from Maria.” The Washington Post. This was long AFTER the hurricane took place. Over many months it went to 64 PEOPLE. Then, like magic, “3000 PEOPLE KILLED.” They hired....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2018
He went on to blame the democrats and bad politics for the inflated number.
And according to a new poll from HuffPost and YouGov, roughly 25 percent believe that to be true.
See more on Hurricane Maria:
Trump has touted his administration’s response to the Hurricane, “I think Puerto Rico was incredibly successful...and I actually think it was one of the best jobs that’s ever been done with respect to what we’re talking about.”
Officials on the island point to a lack of clean drinking water and electricity as key reasons for the increased death toll.
This all comes as the effects of Hurricane Florence continue to impact millions of people. According to Axios, more than 30 people have died as a result of the Hurricane.
