Democrats demanded Saturday that President Trump apologize for his attack on the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, amid a war of words over the federal response to the storm-ravaged island.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) called Trump’s attacks on Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz “atrocious” hours after the president went after the San Juan official’s “poor leadership.”

“Mayor Cruz’s defining what true leadership looks like. She’s owed aid & apology,” the Democratic senator wrote on Twitter.

.@realDonaldTrump attacks on @CarmenYulinCruz are atrocious. Mayor Cruz’s defining what true leadership looks like. She’s owed aid & apology https://t.co/evxe6YZYeW

— Senator Cortez Masto (@SenCortezMasto) September 30, 2017

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said that the “first thing Trump should do” when he visits Puerto Rico on Tuesday is apologize to the mayor, calling the attack “disgraceful and shameful.”

First thing Trump should do on Tues when he visits #PuertoRico for the first time since #HurricaneMaria devastated the island is apologize. https://t.co/wYQoHk7Tw6

— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) September 30, 2017

Disgraceful and shameful. #PuertoRicoReliefNOW https://t.co/VYowMvwGRJ

— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) September 30, 2017 

{mosads}

Trump lashed out at Cruz in tweets early Saturday, claiming she was being influenced by Democrats to “be nasty to Trump.”

“Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help. They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort,” he wrote on Twitter.

The president’s comments came the morning after Cruz begged the federal government to increase its support and aid to the U.S. territory, saying in a press conference Friday that “we are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency.”

Trump has faced criticism over the government’s slow response to aid Puerto Rico after it was hit by Hurricane Maria earlier this month. Lawmakers have pushed for federal supplies for the island, which continues to suffer major power outages in the aftermath of the storm.

Federal agencies and emergency response teams have rushed to the island to provide valuable support, which Cruz and other critics have said is not enough to help storm victims.