US President Donald Trump arrived in Puerto Rico for the first time since Hurricane Marina devastated the U.S. territory nearly two weeks ago, hailing federal recovery efforts, VOA reported.

The president's visit includes meetings with Puerto Rico’s political leaders, including San Juan’s Democratic mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who had responded angrily to an administration official’s comment that relief efforts on the island were “a good news story.”

Trump said he thinks the mayor may have changed her mind about Washington’s disaster response. “Well, I think she’s come back a long way. I think it’s now acknowledged what a great job we’ve done, and people are looking at that.”

The president admitted a lot more must be done, acknowledging Maria "has been the toughest one" yet this hurricane season and called on locals to do more to rush aid to isolated regions. 

During his five-and-a-half hours on the ground, the president and his team are meeting with Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello, military personnel and people impacted by the storm. Trump also is holding talks with Governor Kenneth Mapp of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which also were hit by Hurricane Maria last week.