Former US President Donald Trump has resurfaced a long-debunked conspiracy theory, making the sensational and false claim that the Obama administration diverted billions of dollars meant for Puerto Rico's disaster recovery.
The allegations, which lack any credible evidence, were made during a rally and have been met with swift condemnation from fact-checkers and political experts.
A Baseless Allegation Resurfaces
Trump's latest remarks suggest that the Obama administration somehow redirected a staggering $92 billion allocated for Puerto Rican relief efforts. This figure itself is a significant exaggeration of the total aid approved by Congress following the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Financial and governmental experts were quick to dismantle the claim. Official records and audits confirm that disaster funds are subject to stringent oversight and cannot be arbitrarily moved by presidential decree. The notion of such a massive diversion occurring unnoticed is, according to analysts, logistically and politically impossible.
History of a Debunked Narrative
This is not the first time Trump has propagated this specific falsehood. During his presidency, he repeatedly clashed with San Juan's mayor and showed reluctance towards fully supporting the island's recovery, often criticising its leadership and downplaying the hurricane's death toll.
The revival of this conspiracy appears to be a strategic effort to rewrite the history of his own administration's contentious response to one of the worst natural disasters in US territory history, while simultaneously attacking his political rival.
Expert Reaction and Fact-Checking
Media outlets and independent fact-checking organisations have universally rated this claim as false. Investigations have consistently shown that the funds were disbursed through standard channels, primarily to federal agencies like FEMA and HUD, which then allocated the money to approved projects and contractors on the island.
Any delays in aid reaching Puerto Rican citizens were largely due to complex bureaucratic processes and the immense logistical challenges of rebuilding shattered infrastructure, not a malicious diversion of funds by a previous administration.
The repeated promotion of this verifiably false narrative continues to fuel misinformation and deeply affects the residents of Puerto Rico, who are still navigating the long-term effects of the hurricane.
