Puerto Rico remembers Trump and remains staunchly opposed to him

While serving as the 45th president Donald Trump’s decisions to neglect Puerto Rico during its most vulnerable time left a bad taste in the mouths of islanders.

In 2017, hurricane María inflicted unprecedented damage to Puerto Rico, in which the island has yet to fully recover. At the time, President Trump prohibited life-saving relief funds—approved by Congress—to reach it. Rather, he wanted to sell the island. Now, with Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, locals are further emboldened to support those seeking to defeat him and remain firmly opposed to his reelection efforts.

“He imposed restrictions on every measure from Congress to give us relief funds. Restrictions that he did not impose on Texas, that he did not impose on Florida, which had gone through similar natural disasters.” Charlie Rodríguez, Chair of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, told Ark Republic. “You can ask any mayor, red or blue , and they will tell you that funds only started coming in when Biden got to the White House. ”

President Trump’s missteps with the island did not end with the tragedy that was hurricane María. In 2019, when hurricane Dorian was forecasted to ravage the island barely two years after María, he again displayed contempt in the wake of another climate disaster.

“Puerto Rico is one of the most corrupt places on earth,” he spewed.

Accusations of corruption are a matter addressed earlier that year when an estimated 1.1 million Boricuas protested in San Juan, the island’s capital, against former Gov. Ricardo Roselló. The demonstrations, which made global news, took place after the release of an 889-page Telegram chat with his closest aides. The messages contained sexually inappropriate jokes, unsavory comments about political opponents and even the manipulation of the polls.

Quickly, the exposé opened up Pandora’s box on his failed leadership. An island-wide rejection of his participation in misappropriating funds and mismanagement led to his ousting, along with other members of his Administration. This also included the indictments of two top-ranking officials.

For that matter, the way Trump recklessly tossed around insults about Puerto Rico’s political landscape is seen by islanders as hypocritical when he clearly displayed federal nepotism by appointing his son-in-law as a senior advisor to his administration. Then when in that position, Kushner and his wife, Ivanka, risked national security by corresponding to the White House via personal emails. They also used their political influence of being in the White House, and the resources they acquired while there, to grow their business portfolios.

One of the biggest blows to Puerto Rico were the consequences of global warming that were left neglected under the Trump Administration. San Juan is a coastal city at grave risk of the effects of climate change. Yet, during the Trump Administration, he made historic rollbacks to cut environmental protections against it.

He is the president who pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords just two months before hurricane María. Puerto Rico, being especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, stands in the front line of the consequences of such rollbacks. As a result, its residents, American citizens, are positioned to receive further and stronger hurricanes in the coming years.

With 85% of the island living within 5 miles of the coast and, according to Climate Change Resources, scientists projecting 22 inches of sea level rise by 2060, it becomes clear why so many islanders fear for their livelihood and homes. Meanwhile, it is because of Trump’s administration that many Puerto Ricans are concerned that one day their grandchildren shall visit their homes—the very streets they grew up on—in scuba gear rather than by foot.

When it comes to who will succeed President Biden as the Democratic nominee, Puerto Ricans prioritize finding a candidate who whole-heartedly supports the island. Vice President Harris has already acquired the necessary delegates for the Democratic nomination, including support from Puerto Rico’s own. 

Harris visited the island in March of this year. She shared remarks which bode well for the island. Her visit was centered around relief for damages from María and her commitment, alongside the Biden administration, to addressing the issues locals face.

“They don’t lose their grit. They don’t lose the ambition. They don’t lose the momentum. What we all need to do is just supply the community and the talent here with the capacity and the resources.” she said during her visit 

This message, alongside her open commitment to the island resonated with locals, in spite of some protesting her visit.

Barack Obama was the first president to visit the island while in office since John F. Kennedy, a trend continued by his successors. However, Trump’s post-María visit was described as a political disaster. During his tour, he told Puerto Ricans that they should “be very proud” that they did not experience “a real catastrophe” like hurricane Katrina. While Trump perpetuated the ongoing disaster and inflicted further wounds upon its people, when Biden visited, he said he is committed to Puerto Rico.

“We can’t forget, this is the same Donald Trump that, as a businessman, came to Puerto Rico to start a development. What he did was leave many small contractors in Puerto Rico stuck when his plans failed and that enterprise went bankrupt,” explained Rodríguez.

Just after launching his initial presidential bid, Trump International Golf Club, a golf club in the island, filed for bankruptcy. While it was not owned by the former president, he was brought in by the owner in 2008 to turn the struggling business around. The business ended up defaulting in 2012, with Puerto Rico’s Tourism Development Fund making its debt payments over the next three years.

Another matter of controversy for the former president’s reelection campaign is the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. The right-wing conservative plan is to transition to the next conservative president. Many have cited the agenda’s proposal to gut policies like climate change, central presidential power while booting civic service departments. Although Trump distanced  himself from it, it is important to note the Heritage Foundation sponsored the Republican National Convention and that at least 140 former Trump Administration staff are involved in writing the plan, including its main three leaders.

The platform’s   to Medicaid alone, threaten to lower the funding the island receives, yet heighten the cost of these social programs. When 2024 has already set hurricane records in June with Beryl, there is no telling what is to come within the next four years. A second disaster-hurricane under a second Trump administration would undoubtedly be cataclysmic for Puerto Rico.

Despite being U.S. citizens and federal taxpayers, Puerto Ricans in the island cannot vote in federal elections. As such, this is a matter that only voters in the mainland states can decide.

“Another Trump Administration? Disastrous for Puerto Rico,” Rodríguez emphasized “A Kamala Harris Administration? That’s hope for Puerto Rico.”