WASHINGTON: Donald Trump will survey hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico Tuesday, hoping to underscore government recovery efforts and repair damage done by his contentious early response to the crisis, reports AFP.

Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria thrashed through the verdant island, residents are still short of food and largely without access to power or portable water.

Trump's wants to show that the federal government is on top of the daunting recovery effort, and that 3.4 million US citizens are not forgotten.

The administration's critics said the early response was not fast enough or large enough, prompting the pugilistic president to punch back.

He berated San Juan's mayor -- who was frequently on TV asking for help -- and suggested Puerto Ricans were "ingrates" who "want everything to be done for them."

Trump went on to accuse the media of lying about the "great job" he was doing, in a series of excoriating weekend tweets.

"We have done a great job with the almost impossible situation in Puerto Rico. Outside of the Fake News or politically motivated ingrates... people are now starting to recognize the amazing work that has been done," he wrote.

The White House fired out a series of compliments about the relief effort from political allies to try and drive home the point.

It took the unusual step of citing a gushing call between Trump and former Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuno, who now lives in Washington and works as a lobbyist.

Luckily for the White House, few Puerto Ricans had time or -- quite literally the energy -- to read or hear of the president's barbed remarks.