AP FACT CHECK: Trump strikes false notes on Puerto Rico
Posted October 05, 2017 7:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) - An AP Fact Check finds that President Donald Trump struck some false notes about Puerto Rico during and after his trip this week.
On the matter of erasing the island's debt, he seemed to raise false hopes. Trump said of that staggering debt, "We're going to have to wipe that out." But his budget chief says no debt bailout is coming.
Trump also repeatedly characterizes Maria as a Category 5 hurricane when it hit the island. It was a Category 4.
This photo made available by the U.S. Coast Guard shows residents near Utado Puerto Rico, waiting for supplies to be dropped from the air, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. The residents were stranded by roads washed out by the storm and mudslides. Nearly two weeks after the storm, 95 percent of electricity customers remain without power, while 55 percent do not have access to drinking water. (Eric D. Woodall/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
The Associated Press
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet military members on the USS Kearsarge off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The Associated Press
Socorro Marques, 78, a resident at the Aires de Manantial home for low-income elderly people, holds hands with fellow resident Manuela Libran in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. The lights are back on at the residence, but used sparingly, and food has started arriving after Hurricane Maria hit the island on Sept. 20. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
The Associated Press
Portus Stevedoring stevedores prepare to load FEMA water for shipment on ships taking supplies to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico in Jacksonville, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. (Bob Mack/The Florida Times-Union via AP)
The Associated Press
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