Story highlights This is a stark contrast to his tweets Thursday

Puerto Rico is still reeling from a lack of electricity, public health access and a rising death toll

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump sought Friday to repair political damage over his handling of the crisis in Puerto Rico, tweeting that he "will always be with them."

"The wonderful people of Puerto Rico, with their unmatched spirit, know how bad things were before the H's. I will always be with them!" Trump tweeted Friday morning.

The day before, he ignited outrage after he said federal aid can't be there "forever," suggesting that the island's government is going to have to shoulder more responsibility for recovery efforts from Hurricane Maria. The island is still reeling from a lack of electricity, public health access and a rising death toll.

He reiterated his support Friday afternoon in a response to questions about the tweets from CNN's Jim Acosta as he boarded Marine One at the White House, declaring to reporters, "I love Puerto Rico."

He said his administration has done "a great job" but repeated criticism he levied the day before of the electric grids and infrastructure, saying "they were gone before the hurricane" and that the island was "in bankruptcy" before the storm hit.

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