Rihanna bashes Donald Trump's reaction to Puerto Rico's humanitarian crisis

"Don't let your people die like this," she wrote.
 By 
Laura Vitto
 on 
Rihanna bashes Donald Trump's reaction to Puerto Rico's humanitarian crisis
Credit: Gabriel Maseda/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Though Puerto Rico, a United States territory, is in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis brought on by Category 4 storm Hurricane Maria, you might not know it if your primary source of news was President Donald Trump's Twitter account.

Between calls to boycott the NFL and to support repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Trump's few tweets and retweets about the disaster in Puerto Rico have been vague and largely self-congratulatory.

But for the people of Puerto Rico -- where much of the island's infrastructure has been destroyed, leaving many homeless and without potable water -- disaster relief can't come soon enough.

Now Rihanna's adding her voice to the chorus of people calling on Trump to send more aid to the island. On Wednesday the Caribbean singer tweeted a CBS News video at the president, which detailed the devastation suffered there.

Then, on Thursday, she directed him to Wednesday's New York Daily News front page about the disaster.

"Don't let your people die like this," she wrote.

She also praised the five former presidents who on Monday launched a joint effort to raise funds to benefit the U.S. territory.

Though he secured billions in funding for relief in Texas and Florida, Trump has yet to ask Congress for a disaster relief package that would benefit Puerto Rico.

On Thursday, after almost a week of pressure to do so, he waived the Jones Act, a shipping law that's hindered Puerto Rico's ability to receive aid.

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Laura Vitto

Laura Vitto was Mashable's Deputy Culture Editor.

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