Do you care about mean words, or do you care about policy?

The whole debacle that was that bad joke about Puerto Rico by a comedian I've never heard of is the perfect chance to raise this question.

What do you care about more? Do you care about mean words, or do you care about policy?

In terms of Puerto Rico, if you care about policy, you vote for Trump.

Harris supports the Jones act. Trump hasn't specifically said that he would repeal it. The dreaded Project 2025 supports repealing it. Trump worked out an exception when the hurricane hit Puerto Rico during his administration.

Why should we repeal the Jones act?

Well, it's one of the dumbest laws in the country. The thing says that ships can't travel from one US port to another US port unless the ship was built in the USA, flies the US flag, and is manned by US citizens. It's the law that makes it cheaper for people in Massachusetts to get their oil from Russia than it is to get it from Texas.

Why should this matter to Puerto Ricans -- not to mention Hawaiians, people living in Guam -- etc?

There are four ships that operate commercially between Puerto Rico and the lower 48. That inflates prices both on imports and on exports. The average Puerto Rican family pays $1,800 more a year in imported goods than the rest of us.

Why don't we ever see produce that says product of Puerto Rico? Well, it's because the Jones act makes it cheaper for us to get our avocados from just about anywhere else.

Of course, Puerto Rico isn't going to get much attention from foreign trade because, if a ship from another country is in the area wanting to do commerce, and they stop in Puerto Rico on the way, they can't do that under the act. They would have to stop in Puerto Rico, go back home, and then come back to do commerce in the lower 48.

This is a policy that's keeping our island state, and our island territories in poverty.

Harris openly supports it.