In the past few weeks, we've
seen a multitude of hurricanes hitting the Caribbean
and the U.S. And though the storms
have moved on, millions are still dealing
with the effects. We turn next here
to the catastrophic damage in Puerto Rico, home to
3.5 million American citizens. Hurricane Maria, the worst storm
to batter that island in nearly a century. REPORTER:
All over the U.S. territory, these American citizens
are struggling to survive. No running water,
gas is scarce, and they could be without power
for months. That's right.
Due to Hurricane Maria, much of Puerto Rico
has no running water, limited gas, and no power. And although having no power
may be okay for Democrats, it's not okay for an island
full of people, all right? And since-since Puerto Rico
is a part of the United States and its citizens
are American citizens, the man they are looking to
for answers is, unfortunately,
President Trump. And the good news is, the good news is
he knows where Puerto Rico is. We've gotten A-pluses
on Texas and on Florida and, uh, we will also
on Puerto Rico. But the difference is
this is an island sitting in the middle
of an ocean. And it's a big ocean. It's a very big ocean. (laughter) It-it is a big ocean.
Yeah? Yeah? You know what?
I know it seems like President Trump doesn't know
what he's speaking about, but that's just because
he doesn't know how to speak. You see, the essence of what
he's trying to say is true, and that is, compared to states
on the mainland, it's harder to get help
to Puerto Rico. That is what he meant to say.
You know what I'm thinking? Instead of stressing ourselves,
we should just accept that Trump cannot speak English,
okay? And from now on,
we just get him a translator like we do for foreign leaders. We've got an A plus... MAN (translating):
While states such as Texas and Florida are easily
accessible, there are vast
logistical difficulties in delivering essential
supplies and services to an island
approximately 1,000 miles from the U.S. mainland. You see? Presidential.
Presidential. Now, look, the truth is
President Trump's response to this disaster
hasn't been perfect. He tweeted some (bleep)
about Puerto Rico. He wasn't quick to get rid off
the Jones Act, but... but he hasn't been
the only reason that Puerto Rico is struggling
right now. Because as it turns out, there are at least
some emergency supplies that are reaching Puerto Rico. The problem is,
once they reach the island, there's another issue. WOMAN:
Supplies have arrived, but they're not
getting delivered to the three point four million
American citizens on the island. MAN: More than 3,000
shipping containers are sitting at the Port of San Juan. In these containers, we have
medicines, there's water. MAN: The governor,
Ricardo Rossello, told us there's a shortage
of truck drivers to deliver the essentials. If you want to help drive
a truck here in Puerto Rico, here's a number the governor's
office just gave me. Well, wait. Wait a second. Puerto Rico just needs
some truck drivers? Maybe Trump can help
after all, huh? -(laughter)
-Come on! He spent his whole presidency
learning to drive trucks. Finally it paid off! Yeah! Yeah, and you guys thought
he wasn't being presidential. -That was practice.
-(laughter) Now I know this isn't
a popular phrase on this show, but in Donald Trump's defense... "Boo! Boo!" "Aah, tweet, tweet, Trevor.
Aah!" "Centrist shill!" "Tweet, tweet. Boo!" Thank you. -In his... in his defense...
-(laughter) ...the federal government
is responding to the crisis. America's military is boosting
its efforts to help Puerto Rico. FEMA is asking
for military vehicles to clear roads
and bring in supplies. 10,000 responders, more than
four and a half million meals, four point six million liters
of water, and they're working to reopen some of the necessary
airfields and access. In addition to FEMA and the
Department of Homeland Security, the Army Corps of Engineers
is now in Puerto Rico working on restoring
the electrical grid there. And the Navy is sending
their floating hospital, the Comfort, which should
arrive next week. Man, you've got to be impressed with how much
the U.S. military can do, especially the part about
having a hospital on a ship. That is amazing, right, unless you're suffering
from seasickness. Then they can't really help you. Like, they're the problem and
the solution at the same time. "Take this. Now you're sick.
Take this. Now you're sick. This is not going anywhere." Uh, could-could there be
more help? Sure. One thing that isn't helping is that nearly half of Americans,
though, don't even realize that Puerto Rico is a part
of the U.S. And that matters,
because Americans who know Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens
are twice as likely to support the federal
government sending them aid, which is a raw deal
for Puerto Ricans, if you think about it, right? Imagine if half
of your family didn't know that you were a part
of their family. -(laughter)
-That would suck. I think there's a term
for it, actually. It's called "Tiffany Syndrome,"
and it's not fair. -(laughter and groaning)
-It really isn't fair. Just half of them don't know. And if... And as if that wasn't enough, there's another thing that is
working against Puerto Rico. The mayor of San Juan, Puerto
Rico is now begging for help, but many there feel like
they're just getting overlooked. Some experts say donor fatigue
is a real thing here. So many people jumped in to help after hurricanes
Harvey and Irma. They say, people are now
feeling hopeless, like their donations aren't
really making a difference. That's right.
One of the saddest things is, people are not giving aid
to Puerto Rico the way they did
for Texas and Florida, because they're suffering
from donor fatigue. And I'm sure we can all
understand the feeling. It's probably happened to you.
I know it's happened to me. You know, on a day you walk by
a homeless person on the street, and you go like, "You know what?
I'm feeling generous." You look in your wallet,
you're like, "I'm giving them everything.
Everything. "I've got 50 bucks in my wallet.
Take it all. Yeah!" And then you turn the corner and
there's another homeless guy, he's like, "Hey," and you're
like, "Aw, man. Okay, uh... "you should have
seen me earlier. "I gave... you... like... "Wow, if we go back,
maybe we can try... "Aw, man,
maybe we can split it... All right, I'm sorry, man."
And you have to move on. And I know people don't want
to do it, but it's how we feel. And look, people,
I know it feels like that there's a new hurricane
every week. The truth is, though,
everyone still needs to help. Right? And it's no excuse
that we get fatigued for letting Puerto Rico
fall through the cracks. And don't think of it
as a donation. Think of it
as paying Puerto Rico back for all they've given us. "Despacito." (laughter) Lin-Manuel Miranda. -(laughter, cheering)
-Jennifer Lopez. (whooping, applause) Like, you realize if everyone
who listened to "Despacito" just gave one dollar
to Puerto Rico, that's billions. Billions. We just...
That's all we should do. If you've ever listened
to "Despacito," give a dollar. Yeah. If you're a fan
of Hamilton... -(applause, cheering)
-Yeah. Yeah. If you're a fan of Hamilton,
give a dollar. If you've ever fantasized
about J.Lo, give a dollar. Yeah. And you know what? Fine, I'll be the first
to admit, fine, okay, J.Lo, fine,
I will give my dollar. There. There we go.
I have fantasized. There you go. -(laughter)
-So... All right, fine, maybe it was more than one time. -(laughter)
-But the point is... Okay, fine, you know what,
I'll write a check, 'cause I can't afford to just
keep giving out dollars here. Mr. Trevor Lopez. There you go. The point-- don't judge me.
We've all fantasized about J.Lo. She's amazing, okay? -(applause)
-Triple threat. But look, the truth is,
for those of you at home, if you can donate, no matter
how small it is, please try. Go to one
of these worthy charities. Your fellow Americans
could use the help.
