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2016 presidential candidates on Puerto Rico

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2016 Presidential Election
Date: November 8, 2016
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Winner: Donald Trump (R)
Hillary Clinton (D) • Jill Stein (G) • Gary Johnson (L) • Vice presidential candidates
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This page was current as of the 2016 election.

See below what the 2016 presidential candidates and their respective party platforms said about Puerto Rican debt, statehood, and politics.

Interested in reading more about the 2016 candidates' stances on issues related to Puerto Rico? Ballotpedia also covered what the candidates said about budgets and Constitutional rights.

OVERVIEW OF CANDIDATE POSITIONS
  • Hillary Clinton backed PROMESA but expressed concern with the composition of the independent oversight committee. She also supported self-determination on the issue of Puerto Rican statehood.
  • Donald Trump opposed bailing out Puerto Rico and argued that the island would benefit from reducing its bonds.
  • Jill Stein supported assisting Puerto Rico through a bailout similar to the one the auto industry in Detroit received.
  • In 2016, Ballotpedia was unaware of any public statements made by Gary Johnson on Puerto Rico.

    • Democratic candidate

    Democratic Party Hillary Clinton

    caption
    • On May 20, 2016, Clinton released a statement of support with some reservations for S 2328 - Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act or PROMESA.[1] She again endorsed the bill when it was passed in the U.S. Senate on June 29, 2016, writing, "The bill the Senate passed today is the best chance we have of averting a fiscal crisis on July 1. The bill is by no means perfect, and I continue to have serious concerns about some of the provisions it contains. That’s why, as this bill is implemented, I will continue to stand with the people of Puerto Rico to ensure that the oversight board created by this legislation is made up of members who will act in the best interest of Puerto Ricans, and protect their health care, pensions, wages, and well-being."[2]
    • In April 2016, Clinton sent two of her advisers, Amanda Renteria and Ann O’Leary, to Puerto Rico "on a fact-finding mission to learn more about how Zika is impacting the island, and to determine what more we can do to assist Puerto Rico in responding to this health crisis."[3]
    • The Clinton campaign released a list of Clinton's positions on Puerto Rico's economy in April 2016:[4]
      • Clinton expressed support for Congress allowing Puerto Rico to restructure its debt while maintaining its autonomy.
      • She supported self-determination in Puerto Rico. "She will make sure all stakeholders do their part to hold a plebiscite on any proposal that the Government of Puerto Rico puts to voters, as long as it is federally sanctioned and compatible with the Constitution, laws, and basic policies of the United States. And Hillary will ensure that Congress honors whatever the people of Puerto Rico decide, because all people have the right to a form of government that is representative at all levels of government," according to the factsheet.
      • Clinton backed "increasing the share of Medicaid paid for by the federal government and stopping the cuts to Medicare Advantage" in Puerto Rico.
    • In August 1999, former President Bill Clinton offered conditional clemency to 16 members of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, a Puerto Rican nationalist group suspected of several bombings in the U.S. from 1974 to 1983.[5] Hillary Clinton, then the first lady, opposed their release in a statement on September 4, 1999. "When the administration first offered these prisoners clemency, I made it very clear that I had no involvement in or prior knowledge of the decision, as is entirely appropriate, and that the prisoners should not be released unless they renounced violence," Clinton wrote. She continued, "It's been three weeks and their silence speaks volumes. I believe the offer of clemency should be withdrawn."[6]
    • Read more of Hillary Clinton's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

    Republican candidate

    Republican Party Donald Trump

    caption
    • In a May 4, 2016, interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Donald Trump said that the United States should not bail out Puerto Rico. He continued, "I know more about debt than practically anybody. I love debt. I also love reducing debt. And I know how to do it better than anybody. I will tell you, Puerto Rico has too much debt. So you can't just restructure it. You have to use the laws. You have to cut the debt way down and get back to business, because they can't survive with the kind of debt they have."[9] The following day, he said in an interview that he believed Puerto Rico should restructure its debt and "let the bondholders take a hit.”[10]
    • Read more of Donald Trump's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

    Green candidate

    Green Party Jill Stein

    caption
    • In a Facebook live video on July 12, 2016, Jill Stein said that it was "time to stop colonizing Puerto Rico." She continued, "It's time to stop exploiting Puerto Rico, which is the same thing as colonizing. Puerto Rico has provided a more-or-less tax-free environment for U.S. corporations for quite some time. It has provided low-wage workers. Corporations have been free to pollute in Puerto Rico to devastating impact. I think it's time to repay the burden that we have imposed on Puerto Rico. It's time to actually support a bailout for Puerto Rico, as was done, for example, for the auto industry in Detroit." Stein said such a bailout could be financed by reducing military spending.[12]
    • On the subject of Puerto Rican autonomy, Stein also said in her July 2016 Facebook Live video, "I believe we need to give Puerto Rico a real chance to contemplate what kind of a future it wants and what kind of an arrangement is going to work for it. But the overarching issue here is that we don't want an economic control board. ... We need to have democracy rule the day in Puerto Rico."[12]
    • Stein condemned the passage of S 2328 - Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act or PROMESA on June 30, 2016. She wrote in a press release that the deal was "good news for the hedge funds and other financial predators but bad news for Puerto Rico and their impoverished residents."[13]
    • Read more of Jill Stein's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

    Libertarian candidate

    Libertarian Party Gary Johnson

    caption

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 2016 presidential candidates on Puerto Rico. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    2016 presidential candidates on Puerto Rico - Google News

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Hillary for America, "Hillary Clinton Statement on the Proposed House Bill for Puerto Rico," May 20, 2016
    2. ↑ Hillary for America, "Hillary Clinton Statement on Passage of Puerto Rico Debt Bill," June 29, 2016
    3. ↑ Hillary for America, "Two Top Clinton Advisors to Travel to Puerto Rico to Discuss Impacts of Zika," April 19, 2016
    4. ↑ Hillary for America, "Growing Together: Hillary Clinton’s Vision for Puerto Ricans," April 14, 2016
    5. ↑ CNN, "11 Puerto Rican nationalists freed from prison," September 10, 1999
    6. ↑ The Los Angeles Times, "Mrs. Clinton Against Offer of Clemency," September 5, 1999
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    8. ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 5, 2016
    9. ↑ CNN, "The Situation Room Transcript," May 4, 2016
    10. ↑ Fox News Latino, "Trump's mixed signals on Puerto Rico add confusion to Ryan's debt relief efforts," May 9, 2016
    11. ↑ Republican Party, "The 2016 Republican Party Platform," accessed August 5, 2016
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Facebook, "Jill Stein Live," July 12, 2016
    13. ↑ Jill 2016, "Stein Says Congressional Deal on Puerto Rico Continues Colonial Exploitation," June 30, 2016
    14. ↑ Green Party, "The 2016 Green Party Platform on Democracy," accessed August 10, 2016
    15. ↑ Libertarian Party, "The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform," accessed August 7, 2016
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    2016 United States Presidential Election
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    Democratic: April 14, 2016 (CNN) • March 9, 2016 (Univision) • March 6, 2016 (CNN) • February 11, 2016 (PBS) • February 4, 2016 (MSNBC) • January 17, 2016 (NBC) • December 19, 2015 (ABC) • November 14, 2015 (CBS) • October 13, 2015 (CNN)
    Republican: March 10, 2016 (CNN) • March 3, 2016 (FNC) • February 25, 2016 (CNN) • February 13, 2016 (CBS) • February 6, 2016 (ABC) • January 28, 2016 (FNC) • January 14, 2016 (FBN) • December 15, 2015 (CNN) • November 10, 2015 (FBN) • October 28, 2015 (CNBC) • September 16, 2015 (CNN)

    Insiders Poll: First Democratic debate (October 13, 2015) • Presidential Nominating Index: Clinton remains choice of Democratic Insiders • Presidential Nominating Index: Bush remains choice of Republican Insiders • Insiders Poll: Winners and losers from the Fox News Republican Debate


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