Trump considered selling Puerto Rico: Ex-DHS chief says the president asked 'can we sell the island?

[applegrove]

Trump considered selling Puerto Rico: Ex-DHS chief says the president asked ‘can we sell the island?’

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/trump-considering-selling-puerto-rico-ex-dhs-chief-says-the-president-asked-can-we-sell-the-island/

on July 11, 2020

By Bob Brigham at the raw story

"SNIP.......

President Donald Trump’s former acting Secretary of Homeland Security says the leader of the free world considered selling Puerto Rico.

Elaine Duke, who describes herself as a lifelong Republican, spoke with The New York Times in a “wide-ranging interview” about her 14 months working for Trump.

“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 newspaper reported.

“Can we outsource the electricity? Can we can we sell the island? You know, or divest of that asset?” Trump reportedly asked.

......SNIP"

[Nevilledog]

1. Not The Onion.

*sigh*

[Laelth]

5. Yeah. I was a bit shocked by that.

But only a bit.



-Laelth

[redwitch]

2. Holy shit! NT

[tblue37]

3. And buy Greenland to replace it, no doubt! nt

[unc70]

4. Use a 1031 Exchange

[UTUSN]

6. *selling* it - or tying a nice ribbon with a card for Vlad the Impaler?!

[soothsayer]

7. SMH

[yellowcanine]

8. Maybe Cuba would buy it with a loan from Russia? It would be a very Trumpian deal.

They speak the same language so what do they have to lose?

[brush]

9. Too stupid for words.

[Gothmog]

10. Arggh

Link to tweet

[DFW]

11. Only if we can toss in Mississippi and a few counties east and south of me in Texas

Or, at least we get the people of Puerto Rico, and the buyer of the island needs to take the rednecks.

[Lochloosa]

14. Like there are none in TX....

[Blue_true]

26. I like the idea of taking all Puerto Rican US citizens here on the mainland,

and sending anyone who can’t live in a multi-cultural country to take over the former US territory. They get their Valhalla and we get rid of them.

[Dem2theMax]

12. Take a wild guess where the profits would go.

[PJMcK]

13. All the more reason to admit Puerto Rico as a state

Let's bring Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. into the fold and give those citizens the full rights and benefits we all share.

The added bonus, of course, is that they will probably both be strongly Democratic.

[PandoraAwakened]

16. Agree! n/t

[gratuitous]

15. Reason 8,345 why running a government isn't like running a business

Nincompoop.

[Hekate]

19. This

[ProfessorGAC]

23. Especially True, Given...

...the guy saying it knows how to successfully run neither!

[treestar]

32. +1

[JI7]

33. He is a failure at business also

[SoonerPride]

17. If we take the senate PR and DC must be added states

Eliminate the filibuster if we have to.

No more soft ball.

Play to win.

Add states.
Expand SCOTUS
Enact a bold agenda.

Strike while the iron is hot.

[gristy]

21. Yes, a two-fer

Both great ideas individually. In combination just outstanding. Let the Republican's denounce the tactic as "the Democrats are just consolidating their power!" "No shit, sherlock" will be the more than defensible reply.

[dalton99a]

30. +1

[Odoreida]

18. How about independence? n/t

[Laelth]

20. I suspect that they would rather be a state. n/t

-Laelth

[Odoreida]

35. Maybe.

But think long term.

[Laelth]

36. I would respect their decision if they were actually given an option.

That said, I would love to see Puerto Rico become a state. I don’t need to think long-term about this. It should not be my decision. The decision should lie with the people of Puerto Rico. They are better judges of their own long-term interests.

-Laelth

[struggle4progress]

22. "Putin has expressed interest in buying it"

[eppur_se_muova]

24. Needs to be annexed to FL, after November.

Give Dems a strong majority in one of our most populous states -- and since so many Puerto Ricans relocated to FL (not knowing if it was temporary or permanent) after the hurricane, it would be a way of giving Puerto Ricans representation in Congress at last.

[dumbcat]

25. Seriously though, that's kind of an interesting question

I wonder what thee real answer is? What is the "legal", "property", or whatever term I don't even know, status of a US Possession?

Could the US "sell" it? Cede it as reparations if we lost a war? Isn't that how we acquired it? And the Philippines, which I guess we gave back to itself? Didn't we give some territories in the South Pacific back to France or Micronesia or someplace?

I really don't know, but now I'm kind of curious. Does anyone here really know how international law or whatever really works with this stuff?

[NutmegYankee]

29. See Article IV, section 3, clause 2 of US Constitution.

Congress has the power to sell, give away, etc territory.

[Flaleftist]

27. Did he offer to throw in the people for free?

[GeorgeGist]

28. King Snowflake is also ...

King Stupid.

[treestar]

31. So much for a businessman making a good President

I hope that theory is dead now.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

34. ".... she is not ready to commit to voting for Mr. Trump again.". WTF is

wrong with these people???!!

Useless!!!!

[Xolodno]

37. That's his MO...

...just like when one of his properties, where shit hits the fan. Rather than find ways to make it work, reinvest in the property, etc. like any other competent CEO would do, its too hard for him so he would just rather sell it off and pocket the money.

Shit, if he was running Disney, he would try to sell off the theme parks since he couldn't open them.