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Folks upset about how Trump deploys us/them language to refer to Puerto Rico would do well to remember that this is encoded in US law. Puerto Rico *belongs to but is not part of* the United States. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/ 1/n
When Trump tweets about Puerto Rico as a “place” in quotes he lays bare the non-place of the colony and its lack of sovereignty. When he refers to himself as doing more for PR than any other human being he shows how the colonies have always been imagined as less than human. 2/n
Trump might be the most nakedly colonialist modern president, but he is not the only one to treat Puerto Rico as a colonial possession. Hilary Clinton spoke in private meetings about US capacity to remove the elected governor at any time for example. 3/n https://www.elnuevodia.com/opinion/columnas/unpunoenlaboca-columna-2485212/
All presidents have treated Puerto Rico as a foreign body, with any aid granted represented as benevolence— if granted at all. No assistance was given for the debt crisis (which is in great part a product of US policy). Instead austerity was imposed on the wake of a disaster 4/n
Trump’s (false) claim that recovery funds are being used to pay the debt seems to betray his recognition that the debt is unpayable. He said as much when he first arrived in PR after the hurricane, but then conveniently forgot. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/10/04/trump_on_puerto_ricos_debt_were_going_to_have_to_wipe_that_out.html 5/n
When Trump dogwhistles that Puerto Ricans are corrupt, that they inflate their deaths, that the island is a “mess” and costly to tax payers he draws on well trodden racialized rhetoric used to deny assistance to minority populations—from welfare to disaster aid. 6/n
Puerto Rico’s racial and colonial status is what allows Trump to claim that he has offered more assistance to PR than “any human being” even though aid PALED in comparison to that offered for Harvey and Irma—even as Maria was much deadlier. 6/n https://gh.bmj.com/content/4/1/e001191
As I wrote for the @washingtonpost this long colonial history has taught Puerto Ricans that they cannot count on Washington to recognize their humanity. This long predates Trump, if anything he simply lays it bare. 7/7 https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/04/01/trump-hasnt-treated-puerto-rico-well-thats-long-us-tradition/
