If any of your friends are looking for pointers on how to master the art of the clapback, just send them in the direction of San Juan, Puerto Rico’s mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. Are your friends also wondering what a true leader looks like and how they respond to human crisis? You can send them her way for that too.
In the weeks following the horrific humanitarian crisis plaguing Puerto Rica, the San Juan mayor has stepped up to bat. She’s met with victims, slept with them in shelters, waded through sewage, all while squaring off with Donald Trump.
Despite Cruz’s repeated pleas of help for the U.S. territory the White House administration has lagged behind in response. In the wake of Hurricane Maria, Cruz has been demanding that the cries of her people be heard. All this, despite the White House opting to pick and choose how to help at the slowest of paces. (If you haven’t heard Trump took two weeks to make his way over to the island. Only four days went by before he made his visits Harvey and Irma.)
Cruz and her most recent retort to the White House’s lack of action is everything PR needs right now.
After a Fox News interview in which Trump called Cruz “nasty,” mayor Cruz stepped in for a televised interview wearing a black shirt with the word emblazoned in bold. Right. Across. Her. Chest.
Can we get a round of applause for mayor of San Juan, @CarmenYulinCruz? #NastyWoman #PuertoRicoStrong pic.twitter.com/Yrxr5JfbVX
— Wade Snowden. (@wade_snowden) October 4, 2017
It’s not the first time Cruz has had to react to Trump calling her nasty. His most recent attack occurred on Fox News in which he called Cruz “… a little bit on the nasty side and I said I guess she’s running for office, and it turns out I’m right.” But it hasn’t been the first time, Trump has used “nasty” to describe Cruz. When the mayor criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency for focusing on paperwork over lives, Trump sounded off on social media. “The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump,” said in a series of tweets.
“What is truly nasty is that anyone would turn their back on the Puerto Rican people.”
CREDIT: Univision / Giphy.com
Mayor Cruz said during her interview with Univision that what was truly nasty about the situation was “that anyone would turn their back on the Puerto Rican people.”
Forget the chancla and T-shirt. Get Cruz a mic and she can serve Trump a smackdown with her words alone.
Since then, the internet has been all about Cruz’s shirt.
??????????Strong women ALWAYS catch the most ?. Hello,boys,it's not the 50s anymore.Suck it up; lead follow or get out of the way!TY Mayor? pic.twitter.com/CFVjwL5zXK
— Amanda M. Sides, RN (@AmandaMSidesRN1) October 4, 2017
But, seriously Trump. Get out of the way.
In fact, everyone is fully ready to help Cruz claim the name.
It's Carmen. Ms. Cruz if you're nasty.
— Sean Gilliam (@Razerien) October 4, 2017
Nasty clearly ‘don’t mean a thing” to Cruz anyway.
Even a few celebs were inspired by her outfit and rigor.
The Shirt ?,,Is That Our President Language !!???
— Tonja Faulkner (@TonjaFaukner) October 5, 2017
Someone even accurately pointed out any woman who calls out Trump’s inadequacies gets the “nasty” label.
You know you're doing it right when @realDonaldTrump calls you nasty!
— Ellen (@Ellenapa) October 5, 2017
Besides having hurled the word at Cruz during a series of tweets, Trump has used “nasty” to put down Hillary Clinton as well. During the 2016 election, Trump, then a Republican candidate, called Clinton a “nasty woman” during a presidential debate. And while we love that Hillary went on to address Trump’s comment in stride, Cruz’s decision to proudly claim the title is everything.
To top off her assessment on the mistreatment of Puerto Rico’s devastating disaster, Cruz had this to say:
“But, really, this is about saving lives. This isn’t about politics. Some people make it about politics, because they want to change the dialogue, because looking at the injustice and the suffering and the face will have to make them admit their failures.”
Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz is literally the definition of righteous.
