Trump Says NFL Didn't Overshadow Puerto Rico

President Donald Trump says he was not preoccupied with his fight with the NFL over the weekend at the expense of storm-ravaged Puerto Rico.

Trump was asked Tuesday about criticism that he was paying too much attention to the fight over football players kneeling during the national anthem. He says he has "plenty of time" on his hands, adding that all he does is work. Speaking out against the protests, he said, amounts to "respect for our country" and is part of his job.

Trump has come under criticism that his administration responded too slowly to the growing humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, where Hurricane Maria knocked out power to virtually the entire island. He said he is visiting Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on Tuesday.

Trump is sending "America's hearts and prayers" to people in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and says he'll visit both places next week.

Trump said Tuesday that a "massive" effort to help people recover from Hurricane Maria is underway. He added that includes the military, though he did not give specifics.

Trump spoke in the White House Rose Garden after he received criticism from some U.S. lawmakers that the administration's response to Hurricane Maria has fallen short of its efforts in Texas and Florida after storms there.

Maria roared ashore Sept. 20 and knocked out nearly all power in Puerto Rico, leaving its 3.4 million residents short of food, water and supplies.

Congressional Democrats earlier Tuesday said Trump is not acknowledging the gravity of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-NY, said she is concerned that Trump's continued tweets about NFL players show he doesn't grasp the severity of the crisis.

She warned Trump that, "If you don't take this crisis seriously this is going to be your Katrina," referring to criticism of President George W. Bush following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Velazquez also said she was "offended and insulted" by Trump's tweet that Puerto Rico's public debt contributed to the crisis.

Rep. Joe Crowley, D-NY, called it "absolutely ridiculous" for Trump to mention debt "when people are suffering and dying. Here's a president who's used bankruptcy throughout his entire career."