Although the actions of United States President Donald J.Trump during his first months prove that he is ‘unpredictable’ and ‘unconventional,’ Governor Ricardo Rosselló is convinced that he will respect and enforce a statehood petition if it is endorsed by the majority of the Puerto Ricans in the plebiscite next June.

‘About Trump? He is unpredictable … ‘, answered the Governor when NotiCel asked him what he had learned so far from the controversial figure during his tenure in the White House.

‘The jury is still out there. He is certainly unconventional, we can clearly say that about Trump,’ he added in an interview given before Sunday, February 26, when the Governor and First Lady would have their first contact with the President during a dinner at the White House.

Still, the Governor is convinced that the President will respect and comply with the results of the plebiscite that will be held on June 11.

‘What makes you think he won’t, I’m going to tell you what makes me think so: one is a programmatic commitment of the Republican Party and for the first time you have that commitment with a Republican House of Representatives and Senate in Congress,’ the Governor said.

The United States President has been widely criticized in his country and internationally for the public policies of exclusion of other cultures and criminalization of immigrants in the United States, a product of the vision that he manifested time and again during his campaign, even with the opposition of leaders of his own party.

During his first month, Trump has eclipsed the Republican agenda for health reforms and has advanced his own agenda through executive orders that strenghten immigration policies, much to the concern of his own Republican Party.

When asked if President Trump looks like a person who adheres to the programmatic guidelines of his party, the Governor responded that he prefers to give him the benefit of doubt before dismissing his commitment.

‘It’s just that I do not know him. Now telling him yes or no would be not giving him a chance. I will meet with him if I have the opportunity. Explain the benefit for Puerto Ricans and the United States to transition from the colonial status we have and become a state,’ said Rosselló.

As part of this effort, and framed in the country’s fiscal situation, last week the Governor met with several officials of the Trump Administration, including Justice Department Secretary Jeff Sessions; Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin; Health Secretary Tom Price; director of the Office of Budget and Management, Mick Mulvaney and the director of White House Legislative Affairs, Rick Dearborn.

Asked by NotiCel, Rosselló Nevares distanced himself from some of the positions taken by the Republican president, including his constant confrontation with the press, as well as with the Spanish-speaking community.

‘I think that there are certain things, I have to say that obviously it’s difficult to watch his stand against Latino communities … The other thing I have seen is his interaction with the media, in my view, I’ve had some diagreements with members of the press, but I believe that the press is indispensable and necessary in a democracy, ‘ Rosselló said.

However, not everything in the Trump Administration is a mistake. According to the governor, the Republican president has shown a drive to implement public policy for economic development that, in his opinion, could be favorable to Puerto Ricans in some areas.