After CNN played Ms. Duke’s comments for the mayor, Ms. Cruz called them “an irresponsible statement.”

Well, maybe from where she’s standing it’s a good news story. When you’re drinking from a creek, it’s not a good news story. When you don’t have food for a baby, it’s not a good news story. When you have to pull people down from their buildings, because — I’m sorry, but that really upsets me and frustrates me. I would ask her to come down here and visit the towns and then make a statement like that, which frankly, it is an irresponsible statement. And it contrasts with the statements of support that I have been getting since yesterday when I got that call from the White House. This is, dammit, this is not a good news story. This is a ‘people are dying’ story. This is a ‘life or death’ story. This is ‘there’s a truckload of stuff that cannot be taken to people’ story. This is a story of a devastation that continues to worsen.

Ms. Duke, who was visiting Puerto Rico on Friday, said that it was “nice to see the communities together trying to recover and support each other.”

“It was good news that the people of Puerto Rico, the many public servants of the United States and the government of Puerto Rico were working together,” she said.

The Trump administration has vowed to give the island its full support. On Thursday, it appointed a three-star general to coordinate with agencies, and it waived the Jones Act, which was seen as a hindrance to relief efforts. But residents remained in dire straits on Friday, with fuel, clean water, ice and other basic supplies running short. The entire island of 3.4 million people remained without electricity, with little phone service. At least 16 people have died, though some experts say that number is likely to grow.

In remarks to the National Association of Manufacturers in Washington on Friday, President Trump said his administration was “engaged fully in the disaster and the response and recovery effort.”