Trump raised possibility of selling Puerto Rico

[Landslide Lyndon]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/us/politics/elaine-duke-homeland-security-trump.html

She said that as Hurricane Maria approached Puerto Rico and Ms. Duke argued for an emergency declaration before its landfall, Mick Mulvaney, then the president’s budget director, resisted.

“Quit being so emotional, Elaine, it’s not about the people, it’s about the money,” she said Mr. Mulvaney told her. Asked about the comment, Mr. Mulvaney said on Friday: “I never made such a remark. My experience with the acting director was that she rarely got anything right at D.H.S. At least she’s consistent.”

...

Among her most searing moments during the response to the hurricanes came when she heard Mr. Trump raise the possibility of “divesting” or “selling” Puerto Rico as the island struggled to recover.

“The president’s initial ideas were more of as a businessman, you know,” she recalled. “Can we outsource the electricity? Can we can we sell the island? You know, or divest of that asset?”

She said the idea was never seriously considered or discussed after that meeting.

[NewYorkExpress]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

[Middle-aged Europe]

Well, maybe he wanted it to trade it for Greenland.

Seriously though, I'm pretty certain that the Puerto Ricans' status as U.S. citizens would prohibit "selling" the island without their consent.

Astonishing that Donald Trump seems to think that international relations work under the same rules as the game Monopoly (or the same rules as 19th century colonialism, for that matter).

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Can we divest America of the GOP? Maybe we can pay Russia or the Saudis to take them?

[Fuzzy Says: "Abolish NPR!"]

I don't trust the NYT to be honest, but I am curious as to what end this was proposed.

Land has been bought and sold in the past, but never a swath of American land as fully populated and developed as Puerto Rico.  The closest we came was when Jefferson sought to buy land in and around New Orleans, but was offered the whole of Louisiana Territory.

My own view is that we ought to bail out Puerto Rico and rebuild it with its own "Marshall Plan".  This plan should be a plan for statehood.  But Statehood should not be granted without a state constitution that mandates a balanced budget.  Self-government implies living within one's means.

What would NOT be OK would be to sell Puerto Rico to a nation that does not guarantee the individual liberties we do.  Puerto Ricans are not residents of a state,  but they ARE American Citizens, and not mere "American Nationals".  Their Constitutional Rights are not for sale.  I'm not sure it would be Constitutional to sell Puerto Rico to a foreign country under any circumstances.  I suppose such an event would make lots of lawyers rich.

[ugabug]

They speak Spanish so obviously they're not real Americans anyway.🙄 The sooner he's out of office the better.

[Saint Milei]

Puerto Rico should decide if it wants to remain a province or become free. I'd rather just grant PR independence and let them be their own country

[GP270watch]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

Spain for maritime boundaries, which the USA probably wouldn't agree to anyways.

[Progressive Pessimist]

This sounds familiar, didn't he float one of his trademark overly simplistic stupid ideas similar to this before?

[ugabug]

This sounds familiar, didn't he float one of his trademark overly simplistic stupid ideas similar to this before?

You may be thinking of him wanting to buy Greenland from Denmark last year.

[Progressive Pessimist]

This sounds familiar, didn't he float one of his trademark overly simplistic stupid ideas similar to this before?

You may be thinking of him wanting to buy Greenland from Denmark last year.

You're right! That was it! Wow, that feels like a lifetime ago.

[Fuzzy Says: "Abolish NPR!"]

They speak Spanish so obviously they're not real Americans anyway.🙄 The sooner he's out of office the better.

A significant number of Puerto Ricans do not view themselves as "Americans"; they view themselves as Puerto Ricans and desire independence for Puerto Rico.

That's not been the recent opinion of the Puerto Rican electorate, based on recent plebecites.  It's never been a majority opinion, but it does have its adherents.

[ugabug]

They speak Spanish so obviously they're not real Americans anyway.🙄 The sooner he's out of office the better.

A significant number of Puerto Ricans do not view themselves as "Americans"; they view themselves as Puerto Ricans and desire independence for Puerto Rico.

That's not been the recent opinion of the Puerto Rican electorate, based on recent plebecites.  It's never been a majority opinion, but it does have its adherents.

In every plebiscites that i've looked at the Independence option received the least amount of votes, often times receiving less than 5%. In fact the real fight is usually about keeping the status quo or becoming a state either way though by US law they would still be consider Americans. So if you have any evidence to show that a significant chunk of Puerto Ricans want independence please show it.

Either way though the biggest problem with this is not the idea of Puerto Rico being independent (which we should respect if the majority of the people there want it) but the fact that Trump would so easily think about selling American territory with Americans living there without even the slightest thought of what the people there want.

[Dr. Arch]

They speak Spanish so obviously they're not real Americans anyway.🙄 The sooner he's out of office the better.

A significant number of Puerto Ricans do not view themselves as "Americans"; they view themselves as Puerto Ricans and desire independence for Puerto Rico.

That's not been the recent opinion of the Puerto Rican electorate, based on recent plebecites.  It's never been a majority opinion, but it does have its adherents.

In every plebiscites that i've looked at the Independence option received the least amount of votes, often times receiving less than 5%. In fact the real fight is usually about keeping the status quo or becoming a state either way though by US law they would still be consider Americans. So if you have any evidence to show that a significant chunk of Puerto Ricans want independence please show it.

Either way though the biggest problem with this is not the idea of Puerto Rico being independent (which we should respect if the majority of the people there want it) but the fact that Trump would so easily think about selling American territory with Americans living there without even the slightest thought of what the people there want.

[Badger]

I don't trust the NYT to be honest, but I am curious as to what end this was proposed.

Land has been bought and sold in the past, but never a swath of American land as fully populated and developed as Puerto Rico.  The closest we came was when Jefferson sought to buy land in and around New Orleans, but was offered the whole of Louisiana Territory.

My own view is that we ought to bail out Puerto Rico and rebuild it with its own "Marshall Plan".  This plan should be a plan for statehood.  But Statehood should not be granted without a state constitution that mandates a balanced budget.  Self-government implies living within one's means.

What would NOT be OK would be to sell Puerto Rico to a nation that does not guarantee the individual liberties we do.  Puerto Ricans are not residents of a state,  but they ARE American Citizens, and not mere "American Nationals".  Their Constitutional Rights are not for sale.  I'm not sure it would be Constitutional to sell Puerto Rico to a foreign country under any circumstances.  I suppose such an event would make lots of lawyers rich.

Trust Trump two more or less tell you what's what?

Rube.

[Santander]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

He almost certainly meant stripping the government's assets and selling them to the private sector.

[Badger]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

He almost certainly meant stripping the government's assets and selling them to the private sector.

With any other president, or indeed almost any other person, that would be a reliable bet.

However, I trust the source, and more importantly, don't forget this is the guy who only a year ago try to freaking BUY GREENLAND.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

In 1964, 5600 US citizens were relocated and their land given to Mexico, so I guess that's the closest to this that has ever happened.

[Former President tack50]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

Spain for maritime boundaries, which the USA probably wouldn't agree to anyways.

While I suppose Spain would be the likeliest country to take PR if it was sold in 19th century colonial fashion, what benefit exactly would there be? Spain has 0 interests on the Caribbean and has not had any for over a century.

In terms of maritime disputes, the big disputes for Spain are against Morocco (there was a big incident recently in fact regarding Morocco claiming Spanish territorial waters) and against Britain (because of Gibraltar)

If any European country was to buy PR for territorial waters, the only real contenders would be Britain or France.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I doubt Donald Trump would have wanted to be the President to relocate three million additional Spanish-speakers to the U.S. mainland. That wouldn't have really fit with his brand, if you catch my meaning.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Sell it, if the Ds cant get 55  votes anyways, it wont become a state

[Santander]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

He almost certainly meant stripping the government's assets and selling them to the private sector.

With any other president, or indeed almost any other person, that would be a reliable bet.

However, I trust the source, and more importantly, don't forget this is the guy who only a year ago try to freaking BUY GREENLAND.

Greenland for Puerto Rico would objectively be a great trade for the US.

[Storr]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

He almost certainly meant stripping the government's assets and selling them to the private sector.

With any other president, or indeed almost any other person, that would be a reliable bet.

However, I trust the source, and more importantly, don't forget this is the guy who only a year ago try to freaking BUY GREENLAND.

Greenland for Puerto Rico would objectively be a great trade for the US.

I know it was easy to make fun of Trump for proposing buying Greenland. But on a purely economic level, it was a good idea. The mineral/oil wealth is worth many times whatever we would have payed for it (especially if we bought it when the idea was first proposed, at the same time we bought Alaska in 1867). It's also in a strategically important location in the context of increased tensions concerning Russia.

[Badger]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

He almost certainly meant stripping the government's assets and selling them to the private sector.

With any other president, or indeed almost any other person, that would be a reliable bet.

However, I trust the source, and more importantly, don't forget this is the guy who only a year ago try to freaking BUY GREENLAND.

Greenland for Puerto Rico would objectively be a great trade for the US.

Maybe, but even if hypothetically true, that's not the point is it? The point is that we have a president who genuinely considers these whimsical Flights of Fancy to be real just like any other real estate deal, and if not quickly distracted or dissuaded by AIDS - - who are increasingly subservient Yes Man to avoid incurring Emperor Donald J Nero's irrational wrath - - he would actually  attempt following through.

I'm just saying that having a president completely devoid from reality is not a good thing.

[Santander]

I'm a little bit curious about who else would want Puerto Rico.

Other than maybe a South American Country or two, who does buying Puerto Rico benefit?

He almost certainly meant stripping the government's assets and selling them to the private sector.

With any other president, or indeed almost any other person, that would be a reliable bet.

However, I trust the source, and more importantly, don't forget this is the guy who only a year ago try to freaking BUY GREENLAND.

Greenland for Puerto Rico would objectively be a great trade for the US.

Maybe, but even if hypothetically true, that's not the point is it? The point is that we have a president who genuinely considers these whimsical Flights of Fancy to be real just like any other real estate deal, and if not quickly distracted or dissuaded by AIDS - - who are increasingly subservient Yes Man to avoid incurring Emperor Donald J Nero's irrational wrath - - he would actually  attempt following through.

I'm just saying that having a president completely devoid from reality is not a good thing.

Of course.