Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told CNN on Thursday that he won’t be bullied by the Trump White House — and he threatened to “punch the bully in the mouth.”
Rosselló has been feuding with President Trump over what the governor considers inadequate federal relief aid, nearly two years after the island territory was battered by Hurricane Maria.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, without mentioning Trump by name, Rosselló said: “If the bully gets close, I’ll punch the bully in the mouth,” adding that “It would be a mistake to confuse courtesy with courage.”
Rosselló described “a tense encounter” Wednesday at the White House, CNN says. During that meeting, the governor said, Puerto Rican officials “were warned by senior White House officials that representatives for the U.S. territory were pushing too hard to arrange a meeting [with the president] aimed at discussing the island’s dire situation.”
Citing Puerto Rican sources who were at the meeting, CNN says “White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, along with other senior officials, all but threatened the island’s representatives,” using the f-word more than once.
A White House official contacted by CNN refused to say whether Trump will meet with the governor in the future. But a spokesman said the administration will “continue working with Rosselló and his aides on recovery efforts.”
Trump has often complained that Puerto Rico is wasting money it has already received, although it’s unclear just how much that aid amounts to. CNN says Congress has appropriated almost $20 billion in disaster funds, but approved only $1.5 billion to actually be spent.
Rosselló is in Washington meeting members of Congress as what CNN calls “part of a new push for statehood for Puerto Rico.”
President Trump said later today on Puerto Rico: “Puerto Rico has been taken care of better by Donald Trump than by any living human being.”
