Gov. Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico says the official death toll for Hurricane Maria now stands at 34, up from the 16 originally announced.

Trump traveled to Puerto Rico Tuesday for the first time since Hurricane Maria slammed into the island more than two weeks ago. He is the first sitting president to visit Puerto Rico in decades during a natural disaster.

The president tossed paper towels out to a crowd that greeted him. Some on the island criticizing Trump for that move.

Trump also toured places like Guaynabo, which is not the worst affected area. He said despite criticism from local leaders, the federal government is doing a great job with relief efforts.

"Everyone around this table and everyone watching can be very proud of what's taking place in Puerto Rico," Trump said

Two weeks after the Category 5 hurricane, there is still no power for most of the island and food and other essentials are in short supply.

The Trump administration is finalizing a $29 billion disaster aid request for hurricane victims.

And also on Tuesday the American Red Cross relief ship arrived with 1,000 beds and providing much needed medical help.

In an interview with FOX News, Trump suggested Puerto Rico's suffering was partly the fault of officials who had allowed the island’s infrastructure and economy to degrade before the hurricanes and said local people should be doing more to help the recovery.

In an interview with Fox News Tuesday, Trump said that “we’re going to have to wipe out” Puerto Rico’s debt.

“We’re going to work something out,” he said in the interview. “We have to look at their whole debt structure. You know, they owe a lot of money to your friends on Wall Street. And we’re going to have to wipe that out.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.