President Trump: I Wasn't Preoccupied With The NFL

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump spoke of the devastation in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Tuesday, adding that the he and his administration have been treated very nicely by the Puerto Rican governor during a press conference at the White House.

“Everybody has said, it’s amazing the job we’ve done in Puerto Rico,” Trump said.

It was the president's first direct address to the public since he stirred up a firestorm over the NFL protests during the national anthem. He delivered the remarks at the press conference with Spain's Prime Minister Rajoy Tuesday afternoon.

“Our nation has been tested by the destructive force of Mother Nature,” he said. "I have directed all relevant department and agencies to assist in the response and recovery effort." (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

He also praised Spain for its investment in the United States. On the topic of Catalonia possibly voting to leave Spain, Trump said he wants Spain to stay united. Rajoy said it was not his place to make the decision for the Catalonians, adding that currently there could not be a valid democratic referendum.

Trump faced criticism over the weekend for extensively tweeting about the controversy while not mentioning the U.S. territory, which is currently suffering an island-wide power outage. On Monday, Trump tweeted about the natural disaster and has pledged to visit the island next week.

Asked why he spent so much time talking about the NFL over the weekend, Trump said he was not "preoccupied."

"I wasn’t preoccupied with the NFL, I was ashamed at what was taking place," he said. "I have plenty of time on my hands, all I do is work."

He added that Puerto Rico was difficult to get to because it's an island.

"It's out in the ocean, you can't just drive your trucks there from other states," he said.

“We have shipped massive amounts of food and water and supplies to Puerto Rico, and we are continuing to do it on an hourly basis," Trump told reporters earlier in the day. "But that island was hit as hard as you could hit. When you see 200 mile-an-hour winds, not even Texas had 200 mile-an-hour winds ... literally houses are just demolished, it was like tornadoes. It was like having hundreds of tornadoes. The winds."

Though the administration said the focus on aid was strong, when two Cabinet secretaries — including Energy Secretary Rick Perry, whose agency is helping restore the island's power — spoke at a conference on another subject neither made any mention of Puerto Rico or Hurricane Maria.

Democratic lawmakers with large Puerto Rican constituencies back on the mainland characterized the response so far as too little and too slow. The confirmed death toll from Maria jumped to at least 49 on Monday, including 16 in Puerto Rico.

"Puerto Ricans are Americans," said Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a Democrat from New York, who traveled to Puerto Rico over the weekend to assess the damage. "We cannot and will not turn our backs on them."

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, and White House Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert landed in San Juan on Monday, appearing with Rossello at a news briefing. Though Rossello had urgently called for more emergency assistance over the weekend, he expressed his gratitude for the help so far.

The governor said the presence of Long and Bossert was "a clear indication that the administration is committed with Puerto Rico's recovery process."

Watch the event below:

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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