Florida GOP Candidates Reject Trump’s Denial of Hurricane Maria Deaths

Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is running for Senate, and gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis both turned on President Trump in the wake of his Thursday tweets denying that nearly 3,000 people died in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria, publicly reaffirming their confidence in the results of the independent study. “I disagree with @POTUS,” Scott tweeted. “An independent study said thousands were lost and Gov. Rosselló agreed. I’ve been to Puerto Rico 7 times & saw devastation firsthand. The loss of any life is tragic; the extent of lives lost as a result of Maria is heart wrenching. I’ll continue to help PR.” A spokesperson for DeSantis took a similar tack, noting that “[DeSantis] doesn’t believe any loss of life has been inflated,” according to a tweet from an NBC correspondent. Democratic Senate candidate Bill Nelson, who will face Scott in the Nov. 6 primary, also criticized Trump’s take: “The president’s comments on the nearly 3,000 American lives lost in Puerto Rico are shameful. We deserve and expect more from someone who holds the highest office in our country.”