The White House published a photo of President Donald Trump throwing paper towels to Puerto Rico residents after Hurricane Maria in 2017, as he stated he will cry if Congress admits Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. as states. The image was shared with the message 'POTUS knows ball', referencing Trump’s use of the video to promote the NBA tournament.
Trump had previously used the video in October to emphasize the tournament’s inauguration, provoking outrage on social media. Hurricane Maria caused approximately 3,000 deaths and $90 billion in damages in Puerto Rico, with the federal government allocating $78.39 billion for emergency relief. Trump expressed his opposition to Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. becoming states, which he believes is part of the Democratic Party’s agenda, and urged Republican senators to eliminate the filibuster rule to pass legislation requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in elections.