A derogatory comment about Puerto Rico at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally has angered residents of the island nation — and experts say it’s unclear what impact it will have on the upcoming non-binding referendum. There will be where Puerto Ricans can vote for statehood or independence.
Comedian Tony Hincliffe joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage” during a rally Sunday that featured crude and racist comments from several speakers. The comment drew condemnation from both sides of the aisle, including from some of Trump’s top Republican allies. The campaign has since distanced itself from the joke about Puerto Rico, but not from the other remarks.
Trump has refused to apologize at several events and during interviews Tuesday, calling the rally a “total love celebration.” He told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday night that he doesn’t know Hinchcliffe and “can’t imagine it’s a big deal.” However, he later agreed that he “probably shouldn’t have been there.”
Trump also said he had done more for Puerto Rico than any other president.
However, some say Trump’s rally joke was a reminder of the former president’s history with Puerto Rico — he fought with Puerto Rican officials during his first term, over aid after the island was devastated by hurricanes in 2017. Crowds during visits after Hurricane Maria resisted sending and threw paper towels. He also reportedly called Puerto Rico “dirty” and wondered if the U.S. could sell the island.
Despite being US citizens, Puerto Ricans cannot vote in general elections and have no voting representation in Congress due to the island’s political status. But the outrage could galvanize Puerto Ricans who are state residents and eligible to vote — which could prove fruitful in battleground states like Pennsylvania where polls show the race is very close.
Puerto Ricans who live on the island will participate in elections where, in a non-binding referendum, they can choose between three options for a new political status for the territory: statehood, independence, or independent association. freedom For the first time, the island’s current status as a US territory will not be an option.
The findings would not change the island’s status: it could only happen with the approval of the US Congress and the president. A recent poll found that a majority of Americans support Puerto Rico becoming a state, with more support from Democrats and independents than Republicans.
Cristina Ponsa Krause, professor of legal history at Columbia Law School, noted the “colonial Catch-22” of Puerto Rico’s political status in a recent article. time: “Puerto Rico remains a colony because it has no use in Congress, and it has no use in Congress because it is a colony.”
But Ponsa Crouse, a Puerto Rican who studies legal issues related to the political status of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, said there is “a glimmer of hope” because of the Puerto Rico Status Act, a bill that would Will present Rico. A chance to vote on the island’s status in the first binding referendum.
The legislation passed the US House in 2022 with some Republican support and was endorsed by President Joe Biden’s administration, but did not receive a Senate vote during that session. It has been 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 showed majorities in favor of becoming the 51st US state, but as Ponsa Krause notes in his article timeopponents questioned the process and low turnout in the fourth and fifth ballots. About 53 percent voted in favor of statehood in the largest referendum in 2020, with a turnout of about 55 percent.
A result with a clear majority and high turnout in the November vote could put pressure on Congress to act.
Ponsa Krause said Newsweek That she thinks Trump’s “disgusting” comments about Puerto Rico at the rally may have some bearing on the upcoming vote. “I imagine they will only affect undecided voters, and it’s hard to say which way that will go,” she said. “I expect voters committed to an option will only redouble their commitment.”
State advocates believe that the best response to racism and exclusion is to reject it while steadfastly insisting on equality and inclusion, he said.
“Their attitude is like the civil rights movement of the 1950s-60s: We will not compromise, we are not going anywhere, and we demand equal citizenship.”
But supporters of independence believe that the best response is to reject it as a separate sovereign nation. “And proponents of the third option, free association under international law, which is essentially freedom with a power-sharing agreement with the United States, see as their best response.”
Ponsa Krause said she expects most voters “will not be deterred from choosing their preferred option in the upcoming polls. If anything, the outrageous display of racism at Trump’s rally is a matter of self-determination.” makes it more immediate.”
He said it is important to remember that the upcoming vote is not a federally mandated vote.
“It would send the right message to Congress, but it wouldn’t require Congress to act,” he said. “Puerto Ricans cannot change their political status on their own because the island is a U.S. territory controlled by Congress. Congress has to do its part: It must pass legislation giving Puerto Ricans non-territorial powers on the island. A federally mandated referendum must be provided.”
said Amilcar Antonio Barretto, a professor of cultures, societies and global studies at Northeastern University whose work focuses on Puerto Ricans and Latinos in the United States. Newsweek that he believed derogatory comments about Puerto Rico could hinder the statehood movement;
“It is likely that the outrage could mobilize more Puerto Rican islanders to vote on the status question,” he said. “If this case pans out, however, I don’t think it will bode well for the statehood movement. After all, the comments from Madison Square Garden speak loud and clear about how a large portion of Puerto Ricans would welcome statehood. . The American People – MAGA Branch.”
“Those who oppose statehood will certainly take advantage of the ‘garbage island’ reference and claim that Puerto Ricans will never be treated equally,” Barreto added. that if the island became a state.”
He added: “The reality, of course, is that regardless of whether Puerto Ricans seek statehood or change their status, the final decision rests with the US Congress.”