'Why is he picking this fight now?': Trump’s attacks on Puerto Rico could backfire in 2020 Florida race
By Toluse Olorunnipa and Toluse Olorunnipa White House reporter Email Bio Follow Josh Dawsey Josh Dawsey Reporter covering the White House Email Bio Follow April 2 at 6:53 PM More than 18 months after a devastating hurricane slammed into Puerto Rico, President Trump continues to publicly attack the island’s leaders and oppose federal aid efforts, a fixation that could hurt his reelection chances in Florida.
Trump’s path to reelection would narrow significantly if he does not win Florida, home to more than 1 million U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican population, which is heavily concentrated in Central Florida, has grown significantly in recent years, as the island has been hit with a one-two punch of economic turmoil and debilitating hurricanes.
Some Republicans have expressed concern that Trump’s verbal attacks could hurt his chances in Florida, whose 29 electoral votes are often decided by a small sliver of the state’s 13 million registered voters. Sen. Rick Scott mostly blamed Democrats for the failure of the bill, but he also said to “ask the president,” when asked whether Trump should accept more funding for Puerto Rico as the price for passing the larger disaster bill.“Puerto Rico got far more money than Texas & Florida combined, yet their government can’t do anything right, the place is a mess — nothing works,” he tweeted Monday.
Kayleigh McEnany, a spokeswoman for Trump’s reelection, defended the president’s hurricane response in Puerto Rico, and she said Puerto Ricans in Florida were benefiting from the president’s policies. Aides have also shown Trump charts and graphs from before the storm — showing that many were already without power before the hurricane hit.
Trump’s campaign apparatus has specifically targeted Florida, and a pro-Trump political group has begun polling in the state. The president has talked about his actions in Venezuela as being popular in Florida, a campaign adviser said, but doesn’t see Puerto Rico as critical.
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