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"Never tweet angry" is usually good advice and I try to adhere to it. But right now, the hell with that. THIS IS APPALLING. 1/
This is such a deeply wrong, deeply inappropriate, deeply disrespectful thing to say....that I hardly know where to start. 2/
Start with this: we have no reliable idea of the actual death toll. Reporting of fatalities has broken down. 3/ vox.com/science-and-he…
Toll of 16 reflects mostly those killed in the storm or immediate aftermath; number likely to rise are info links are restored. 4/
Operative question here is how many have died during the ensuring response, when they *could have been saved.* We don't yet know. 5/
But the bigger point - EVERY fatal catastrophe is a "real catastrophe", FFS (sorry. don't tweet angry). 6/
The only sense in which Trump's comment is accurate is this: the "real" catastrophe is arguably not the storm, but his response to it. 7/
The initial death toll is the one thing over which he had negligible control. The rest is on him. 8/
Choosing to ignore the response for the first 6 days because tweeting about the NFL was more important? That's on him. 9/
Getting into fights with local authorities rather than figuring out how to best support them? That's on him. 10/
Claiming the response was fine and dandy when most of the island was (and is) without power and water? That's on him. 11/
Taking his eye off the ball while the federal response proved to be too slow, too small, and too late? That's on him. 12/
Assuming an overstrapped FEMA operating without a strong State-level counterpart would be up to the task of this? That's on him. 13/
Foot-dragging on the Jones Act waiver because US shipping interests weren't wild about it? That's on him. 14/
Exhale.
Most fundamentally - failing to create a leadership culture in which this response could succeed? That is absolutely on him. 15/
Most fundamentally - failing to create a leadership culture in which this response could succeed? That is absolutely on him. 15/
I don't blame FEMA for the inadequate response. Trump has fostered an environment which makes it hard for them to do their jobs. 16/
Crucial to good crisis mgmt:
- Strong WH interagency process
- Attention to evidence/data
- Ability to challenge leadership assumptions
17/
- Strong WH interagency process
- Attention to evidence/data
- Ability to challenge leadership assumptions
17/
NONE are the case in this WH (as I wrote about back in February, when I saw something like this coming). 18/ politico.com/magazine/story…
WH-led interagency process remains haphazard and weak. Loren nicely breaks it down here. 19/
As I wrote in Feb, that's fatal in a complex disaster response like this. 20/ 
Re: evidence, it was clear within 1-2 days of landfall that this was totally catastrophic. But Trump wasn't paying attention to that. 21/
And instead he and his team were maintaining all was swell. And that really, REALLY makes FEMA's job hard. 22/
One of toughest, but most important, things to do in govt is tell your boss he/she is wrong. 100x more so with Trump. 23/
WH culture that spawns "dear leader" cabinet mtg isn't a culture open to telling POTUS the response is off track 24/ washingtonpost.com/video/politics…
So when we needed extraordinary WH leadership that could take a hard honest look at the challenge and mobilize an unorthodox response... 25/
...we got chaotic self-congratulatory leadership where the highest priority is messaging that everything is going totally fine. 26/
Now, FEMA and DOD are *really* competent and capable. And they can overcome this in a less complex disaster (e.g. TX and FL went ok). 27/
But when a super complex one comes around - Katrina, Ebola, etc - that forces agencies to do something they weren't built to do... 28/
...Presidential leadership is the make-or-break factor. Puerto Rico is such a crisis. 29/
And with his comments today, POTUS underscores again, definitively, that the critical failing element in this response...is him. /end
PS - apologies for being so long winded. Don't tweet angry.
