Attorney Igartúa insists Trump does not oppose Puerto Rico statehood
By THE STAR STAFF
Pro-statehood attorney Gregorio Igartúa de la Rosa is disputing reports that President Donald Trump opposes statehood for Puerto Rico, saying a recent letter he received from the president contained no statement rejecting either statehood or the island’s incorporation into the United States.
In a statement released this week, Igartúa, a member of the local Republican Party, said recent news reports portraying Trump as opposed to Puerto Rico statehood were based on older information and did not reflect his most recent communication with the president. Igartúa said he wrote to Trump last month outlining what he described as majority support in Puerto Rico for incorporation and eventual statehood. Trump subsequently responded by thanking him for the information regarding Puerto Rico’s legal relationship with the United States, Igartúa said. He stressed that the president’s letter did not express opposition to either incorporation or statehood.
The mainland United States votes today in congressional midterm elections in which, according to polls, the Democrats are favored.
Igartúa also revealed that he wrote to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, urging him to become better informed about Puerto Rico’s political status and federal voting rights issues affecting U.S. citizens on the island. In the letter, dated Oct. 29, 2026, Igartúa argued that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth and should not face discrimination because of their political preferences. He also noted that a copy of the correspondence was sent to Trump.
The attorney took issue with comments attributed to Musk regarding Puerto Rico’s status, contending that the Tesla chief executive lacks sufficient knowledge of the island’s legal relationship with the United States. Igartúa further noted that Musk conducts business in Puerto Rico and argued that his views should not be treated as authoritative in the status debate.
More broadly, Igartúa called on political leaders to continue educating federal officials about Puerto Rico’s status options and to provide the public with what he described as accurate and up-to-date information regarding the island’s political future. He argued that statehood advocates, as well as leaders from both major U.S. political parties, should maintain efforts to brief policymakers in Washington on Puerto Rico’s status issues.
The statement comes amid ongoing debate over Puerto Rico’s political future and renewed discussion surrounding the positions of influential national political and business figures on the island’s quest for statehood. Igartúa maintains that the most recent direct communication he received from Trump does not support claims that the president opposes Puerto Rico becoming a state.
