Skip to content

Trump: No to Puerto Rican Statehood Because of San Juan Mayor

In a radio interview on Monday with Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera, President Trump rejected the idea of statehood for Puerto Rico as long as San Juan’s Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz stays in office. Cruz has been a critic of the Trump Administration’s response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma last year.

“With the mayor of San Juan as bad as she is and as incompetent as she is, Puerto Rico shouldn’t be talking about statehood until they get some people that really know what they’re doing,” Trump said in the interview.

Trump’s remarks imply that he could be open to the idea of statehood for Puerto Rico once there is a change in the island’s leadership. He cited the mayor’s poor and inefficient allocation of resources post-Maria as evidence of the island’s incompetent leadership.

“[When] you have good leadership,” Trump explained, statehood for Puerto Rico could be “something they talk about.”

He added, however, that “[w]ith people like that involved in Puerto Rico, I would be an absolute no” to statehood.

Statehood advocate Gov. Ricardo Rossello has criticized Trump’s comments suggesting that they had belittled statehood efforts because of political differences and disrespected over 3 million Americans living on the island.

In response to Trump’s sentiments toward statehood, San Juan mayor claimed his administration will look for any excuse to avoid responsibility for its negligent hurricane recovery efforts last year.

Puerto Rican Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon,(R-PR) responded to President Trump’s statement in a tweet reading, “Equality 4 Puerto Ricans shouldn’t be held up by one bad mayor who’s leaving office in 2020 & do not represent the people who voted twice for statehood.”

The Republican Party’s 2016 platform and politicians in Florida, such as Gov. Rick Scott (R), Sen. Bill Nelson (D) and Rep. Ron DeSantis (R), have declared support for Puerto Rican statehood.

Bipartisan legislation to admit Puerto Rico into the Union was introduced in June, but its fate remains doubtful as the current congressional session comes to a close.

 

 

4 thoughts on “Trump: No to Puerto Rican Statehood Because of San Juan Mayor”

  1. I like Rosello, but getting in bed with Cuomo is questionable – I think Trump is going to be in there for another four years- Cuomo doesn’t have a chance – I could be 100% wrong, but my guts say otherwise. Prepare now Puerto Rico to become a state and promote it within the island- make counties instead of political over crowded districts full of corruptions LOL. Get some balls Rosello, you can do it- stand for what u believe n stand firm.

  2. Pingback: 2:50 PM 7/23/2019 – Puerto Rico News – #PuertoRicoNews: Jibaros, Go Home! #GoHome! #HomeSweetHome! And take all these pennies… And do all you homework! Little Robots! | The News and Times of Puerto Rico | FBI Reform

  3. Pingback: Blogs from Michael_Novakhov (21 sites): Puerto Rico Journal: 2:50 PM 7/23/2019 – Puerto Rico News – #PuertoRicoNews: Jibaros, Go Home! #GoHome! #HomeSweetHome! And take all these pennies… And do all you homework! Little Robots! | Trump and Trumpism

  4. Pingback: 3:08 PM 7/23/2019 – Saved Stories – In 50 Brief Posts | The News and Times of #PuertoRico | FBI Reform

Leave a Reply

Subscribe to our Magazine, and enjoy exclusive benefits

Subscribe to the online magazine and enjoy exclusive benefits and premiums.

[wpforms id=”133″]