Trump boasts about ‘great job’ in Puerto Rico -- and blames geography and San Juan mayor for nearly 3,000 dead

President Donald Trump tried to reassure Americans in the path of Hurricane Florence that his administration was prepared -- and the boasted about previous storms and blamed others for the government's failures.

The president insisted his administration's response to Hurricane Maria -- where 2,975 people died in Puerto Rico -- was "underappreciated," and blamed geography and a mayor for any failures there.

"We got A Pluses for our recent hurricane work in Texas and Florida (and did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico, even though an inaccessible island with very poor electricity and a totally incompetent Mayor of San Juan)," Trump tweeted. "We are ready for the big one that is coming!"

Florence has slowed dramatically as it approaches the East Coast, and forecasters say it could dump up to 40 inches of rain after it makes landfall over the weekend.