Is Donald Trump pushing Puerto Rico toward statehood? Islanders will vote

A disparaging comment about Puerto Rico was made at Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden, which infuriated residents of the island territory — and experts say it's unclear what impact it could have on an upcoming non-binding referendum where Puerto Ricans can vote for statehood or independence.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked that Puerto Rico was “a floating island of garbage” during a rally Sunday during which several speakers made crude and racist comments. The comment drew condemnation from both sides, including from some of Trump's top Republican allies. The campaign distanced itself from the Puerto Rico joke, but not from the other remarks.

Trump refused to apologize at several events and in interviews Tuesday, calling the gathering an “absolute love fest.” He told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Tuesday night that he didn't know Hinchcliffe and “couldn't imagine it being a big deal.” However, he later admitted that he “probably shouldn't have been there.”

Trump also said he had “done more for Puerto Rico than any president.”

However, some say the joke at Trump's rally was a reminder of the former president's history with Puerto Rico: He fought with Puerto Rican officials during his first term, resisted sending for aid after the island was devastated by hurricanes in 2017 and threw paper towels into a crowd during a visit after Hurricane Maria. He also reportedly called Puerto Rico “dirty” and questioned whether the United States could sell the island.

Although they are U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans cannot vote in general elections and do not have electoral representation in Congress due to the island's political status. But the outrage could galvanize Puerto Ricans who reside in states and are eligible to vote — which could have consequences in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, where polls show the race is extremely close.

Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty

Puerto Ricans who live on the island will go to the polls where, in a non-binding plebiscite, they will be able to choose from three options for a new political status for the territory: statehood, independence or independence with free association. For the first time, the island's current status as a U.S. territory will not be an option.

The results will not change the status of the island: this can only happen with the approval of the US Congress and president. A recent survey found that a majority of Americans support Puerto Rico becoming a state, with support higher among Democrats and independents than among Republicans.

Christina Ponsa-Kraus, a professor of legal history at Columbia Law School, highlighted the “colonial trap” of Puerto Rico's political status in a recent Time article: “Puerto Rico remains a colony because it has no means of pressure in Congress, and it has no weight in Congress because it remains a colony. »

But Ponsa-Kraus, a Puerto Rican who studies legal issues surrounding the political status of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, said there is a “ray of hope” because of the Puerto Rico Status Act, a proposed bill that would give Puerto Ricans the chance to vote on the island's status in the first-ever binding referendum.

The legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 with some Republican support and was endorsed by President Joe Biden's administration, but did not get a vote in the Senate this session. It was reintroduced in the current session, with 98 co-sponsors in the House and 26 in the Senate.

Puerto Rico has already held six referendums since 1967. The three most recent votes saw a majority in favor of becoming the 51st U.S. state, but as Ponsa-Kraus noted in his article for Time, opponents have questioned the process during the fourth and fifth votes and the low participation rate. Nearly 53 percent voted for statehood in the most important referendum of 2020, with turnout around 55 percent.

A result with a clear majority and higher turnout in the November vote could put pressure on Congress to act.

Ponsa-Kraus told Newsweek she thinks the “abhorrent” comments about Puerto Rico at Trump's rally could have some impact on the upcoming vote. “I imagine they will just influence undecided voters, and it’s hard to say in which direction,” she said. “I expect voters who are committed to one option will only redouble their commitment.”

Proponents of statehood “believe that the best response to racism and exclusion is to reject them with a strong emphasis on equality and inclusion,” she said.

“Their attitude is similar to that of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s: We will not compromise, we will go nowhere, and we demand equality for citizens.”

But supporters of independence “believe the best response is to reject it by becoming a separate sovereign nation,” she added. “And supporters of a third option, free association under international law, which is essentially independence with a power-sharing treaty with the United States, consider their solution to be the best.”

Ponsa-Kraus said she expects most voters “will not be deterred from choosing their preferred option in the upcoming plebiscite. Rather, the outrageous display of racism at Trump's rally makes the arguments in favor of self-determination even more urgent.

She said it was critical to remember that the upcoming vote was not a federally authorized vote.

“It will, rightly, send a message to Congress, but it will not force Congress to act,” she said. “Puerto Ricans cannot change their political status on their own because the island is a U.S. territory subject to congressional control. Congress must do its part: it must enact legislation providing Puerto Ricans on the island with the opportunity to choose from non-territorial options within a federally authorized plebiscite framework.

Amílcar Antonio Barreto, a professor of cultures, societies and global studies at Northeastern University whose work has focused on Puerto Rico and Latinos in the United States, told Newsweek that he thinks derogatory comments about Puerto Rico could hinder the movement for statehood.

“It’s possible that the outrage will inspire more Puerto Rican islanders to vote on the status issue,” he said. “If this ultimately happens, I don't think it bodes well for the statehood movement. After all, the comments from Madison Square Garden speak loud and clear how well-received Puerto Rican statehood would be by a large part of the American public – the MAGA branch.

Barreto added that those “opposed to statehood will certainly take advantage of the reference to 'garbage island' to assert that Puerto Ricans will never be treated as equals, even if the island becomes a State”.

He added: “The reality is, of course, that whether Puerto Ricans want statehood or not, the final decision to change their status rests with the United States Congress. »

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