FACT CHECK
WH Dep. Press Secretary Calls Puerto Rico ‘That Country’
In an explosive interview on MSNBC Tuesday morning, White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley referred to Puerto Rico as “that country” twice—even though the island has been a U.S. territory for over 120 years.
The misidentification came while Gidley was defending Trump’s Tuesday morning tweetstorm slamming Puerto Rico and its need for “too much money” after the devastating Hurricane Maria in 2017. “With all we’ve done in that country, they have systematic mismanagement of the goods and services we’ve sent to them,” Gidley said to MSNBC host Hallie Jackson.
Trump “says Puerto Ricans are taking from the USA,” Jackson responded. “Puerto Rico is part of the United States. People who live in Puerto Rico are U.S. Citizens. You’re rolling your eyes and I don’t know why you’re rolling your eyes.”
Gidley later admitted his mistake, and claimed calling Puerto Rico “that country” was “a slip of the tongue.”
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