Hurricane Maria: Paper Towel Toss
Visiting Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria killed nearly 3,000 people, Trump tossed paper towels into a crowd at a relief center and called the federal response "an incredible unsung success" — then later disputed the death toll.
On October 3, 2017, Trump visited Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria — one of the deadliest natural disasters in American history. At a relief distribution center in Guaynabo, Trump picked up rolls of paper towels and tossed them into the crowd of hurricane survivors like souvenirs at a basketball game.
He described the federal response as "an incredible, unsung success" — despite the fact that much of the island remained without power, clean water, and basic services. Puerto Rico's infrastructure was devastated.
The death toll was initially reported as 64. An independent study commissioned by the Puerto Rican government and conducted by George Washington University later determined that approximately 2,975 people died as a result of the hurricane and its aftermath — largely from the collapse of healthcare, power, and water systems.
When the revised death toll was published, Trump disputed it, tweeting that it was "done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible" — denying nearly 3,000 American deaths for political reasons.