San Juan Mayor Feuding With Trump Turned Her Back When Asked to Swear to Uphold the Constitution
Rachel del Guidice /
A 2013 video shows the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, turning her back when asked to swear to uphold the Constitution.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump called out Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor, for her “poor leadership ability” in a tweet. The day prior, Cruz had been critical, saying, “If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency.”
Cruz first became mayor of San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, in 2013. When taking the oath of office, Cruz delayed repeating the words that she would “uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States,” turning her back to the woman administering the oath for a long moment.
The English and Spanish versions of the oath read as follows:
I, Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto, as mayor of San Juan, solemnly swear that I shall uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and Laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico against any domestic or foreign enemy; that I will render fidelity and adherence to them; and that I assume this obligation freely and without mental reserve or purpose to evade it; and that I will perform well and faithfully the duties of the position or employment that I am about to exercise. So help me God.
Yo, Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto, como alcaldesa de San Juan juro solemnemente que mantendré y defenderé la Constitución de los Estados Unidos y la Constitución y las Leyes del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico contra todo enemigo interior o exterior; que prestaré fidelidad y adhesión a las mismas; y que asumo esta obligación libremente y sin reserva mental ni propósito de evadirla; y que desempeñaré bien y fielmente los deberes del cargo o empleo que estoy próximo a ejercer. Así me ayude Dios.
Article VI, Section 16 of Puerto Rico’s Constitution states, “All public officials and employees of the Commonwealth, its agencies, instrumentalities and political subdivisions, before entering upon their respective duties, shall take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.”
After turning her back and pausing, Cruz does swear to defend the Constitution, and then enthusiastically repeats to uphold the Puerto Rican Constitution.
“During June of this year, when the leading newspaper in Puerto Rico polled people on the island about her performance as mayor, she had an abysmal 24 percent approval rating,” says Ken Oliver-Méndez, former assistant secretary of state of Puerto Rico.
“She is known for maligning and stoking sentiment against the United States, and people know that if it were up to her, Puerto Rico would not even be part of the United States. She has said on record that in her party, there is no room for people who believe in the permanent union of Puerto Rico and the United States,” Oliver-Méndez, director of Media Research Center Latino, added. Oliver-Méndez, who previously headed the speechwriting team of former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño, unearthed the 2013 video.
Cruz called Trump’s visit to Puerto Rico to survey the damage of Hurricane Maria “insulting,” Politico reported.
“This was a PR, 17-minute meeting,” Cruz said. “There was no exchange with anybody, with none of the mayors. And in fact, this terrible and abominable view of him throwing paper towels and throwing provisions at people, it really—it does not embody the spirit of the American nation, you know?”
Meeting with WH staff productive. They REALLY understood the disconnect between how things are supposed to happen and how they really happen
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) October 3, 2017
Hopefully the newly open channels of communication with WH staff will put in motion what is needed to accomplish our goal: save lives.
— Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) October 3, 2017
On Twitter, Trump defended his stance of the visit to Puerto Rico.
A great day in Puerto Rico yesterday. While some of the news coverage is Fake, most showed great warmth and friendship.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2017
The Daily Signal requested comment from the San Juan City Hall and the office of Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón of the New Progressive Party. González-Colón is Puerto Rico’s only representative in Congress.
Full video from Cruz’s 2013 ceremony: