The 3,000 estimate comes from a George Washington University scientific analysis that included “excess deaths” attributed to the lingering effects of Hurricane Maria. Trump offered no evidence that the Democrats cooked up the number.

The head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Thursday angrily turned down Trump’s invitation to a reception to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month beginning Sept. 15. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), who is running for governor in New Mexico, told Trump in a letter that he “demonized and dehumanized the Hispanic community and spread fear and untruths.”

She added: “You have ignored and recently tweeted lies about the devastation and loss of life in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria, compared immigration to an infestation, and attacked a judge because of his Hispanic heritage. That rhetoric is not only unbecoming of the President of the United States; it has no place in American political discourse.”