Story highlights President Trump will travel to Puerto Rico next Tuesday

The island was devastated by Hurricane Maria

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump said he will travel to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico next Tuesday.

Speaking in the Roosevelt Room, Trump said it was the earliest date he could reach the devastated island due to first responders' ongoing relief and recovery efforts.

Trump said the US territory was "literally destroyed."

"I know many Puerto Ricans, and they're great people and we have to help them. It really was devastated. Some people say, I read it this morning, it's literally destroyed," he said, adding, "The infrastructure was in bad shape as you know in Puerto Rico before the storm, and now in many cases, it has no infrastructure, so it's, you're really starting from almost scratch."

He said he may also stop in the US Virgin Islands during the Tuesday trip.

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