Majority Nationalism and the Trump Administration: Implications for Puerto Rico and Latinos

This article examines how the Trump administration’s embrace of ethnic majority nationalism—rooted in white identity and anti-Latino sentiment—shaped its policies toward Puerto Rico and Latino communities more broadly. It argues that Puerto Rico’s treatment following Hurricane María in 2017 exemplified this dynamic: despite devastation comparable to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in the mainland, federal aid to the island was slower, smaller, and more conditional. Puerto Ricans, framed as outsiders and burdens to the nation, experienced a discriminatory response rooted not in logistical constraints but in nationalist exclusion. The article concludes that this racialized nationalism, now embedded in the MAGA movement, threatens inclusive democratic governance and Latino belonging in the United States.