Trump claims Maria death toll rose 'like magic'

President Donald Trump is circling back to his claim that the death toll from Hurricane Maria last year was inflated and says the number rose to 3,000 "like magic."

He also complained Friday that the Puerto Rican government commissioned an independent study by researchers from a Washington-based university to determine how many people died in the storm. He says, "This method was never done with previous hurricanes because other jurisdictions know how many people were killed."

Trump tweeted that the number of dead climbed from 16 to 64 "over many months." He says, "Then, like magic, '3000 PEOPLE KILLED.'"

He wrote: "FIFTY TIMES LAST ORIGINAL NUMBER - NO WAY!"

Trump's latest grumbling on the Maria death toll comes as Tropical Storm Florence inundates the Carolinas, killing at least four people.

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