President Donald Trump’s trip to Puerto Rico – nearly two weeks after a Category 4 hurricane made landfall – was, in a word, disastrous. He minimized the severity of Hurricane Maria, he focused on the island’s debt, and he failed to visit the places most affected. He also inexplicably threw paper towel rolls into a crowd of hurricane survivors at a church. Many found his actions deplorable and accused him of making a spectacle when people are still struggling to survive. But according to a Washington Post piece, it could have been much worse. Trump, who for the first time saw a can of chicken, considered tossing it to the crowd.
“Trump passed out yellow bags of rice and then started tossing rolls of towels into the crowd as if he were shooting free throws,” the Washington Post writes. “The crowd laughed and cheered him on. When he contemplated doing the same with the cans of chicken, the crowd gently told him no.” And apparently, that’s when Trump learned that no, you can’t throw cans of chicken at a crowd.
In the same visit to the church, Trump learned how water purification kits work. A woman working with the church explained how the kit purifies water over the course of 10 to 12 hours. “Would you do it? Would you drink it?” he asked her. When she said she would, Trump, with a “disgusted look” on his face, asked her once again. When she reiterated that she would, he asked her if she worked for the company who produced the kits. “No,” she said. “I’m part of the church.” And that’s how Trump bungled something as easy as passing out supplies to hurricane survivors. Read more about the visit at the Washington Post.