Senator Pou Statement in Response to Donald Trump’s Recent Puerto Rico Comments “…the President again reminded the nation how little he cares about the Americans that live in Puerto Rico.”

As Puerto Ricans continue to try to rebuild their homes without the help of the Trump administration, the President again reminded the nation how little he cares about the Americans that live in Puerto Rico. His lack of empathy is somehow only surpassed by his administration’s inept response to the Hurricane Maria tragedy.

Unsurprisingly, GOP Senate nominee, Bob Hugin went silent for over 24 hours after Pres. Trump’s snide remarks towards the millions of Puerto Ricans throughout the country, and in NJ, which has the third highest Puerto Rican population. Hugin’s delayed response came in the form of a small tweet without even calling the President out by his name. The fact that they hide when Pres. Trump publicly goes off the rails is an incredibly loud statement in support of bullying, lies, and racism. They have acquiesced to hate and chaos in order to remain in the good graces of the most extreme elements of the Republican Party.

I’m grateful that we have a partner in Washington in Senator Bob Menendez, who is the total opposite of Bob Hugin and Pres. Trump. After Hurricane Maria, the Senator was among the first federal officials to tour the Island and his compassion towards the Puerto Rican people, and all underrepresented Americans, is exemplary. One need only look at his record of securing funding for the Island after Maria and his lifetime support of equal treatment for Puerto Ricans. Indeed, NJ voters know they have an ally in Senator Menendez and we will make that clear November 6th.