Who is the President of Puerto Rico? There’s a simple answer: because Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, the President of the United States is also the President of Puerto Rico. Just as the President of the United States is the president in Oregon and in Virginia, he is also president in Puerto Rico.
At this writing, Donald Trump is President of the United States, so he is the president of all the states and territories as well. We don’t usually talk about the president as the president of any state or territory, but the President of the United States is the only person who can be described in this way.
Puerto Rico’s First President: William McKinley
As a Spanish colony, Puerto Rico was under the rules of the Kings and Queens of Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella were the rulers when Columbus declared that the Island belonged to Spain. In 1898, when Spain ceded Puerto Rico to the United States, the King of Spain was King Alfonso XIII and the President of the United States was William McKinley. Since there had never previously been a President of Puerto Rico, William McKinley was the first President of Puerto Rico.
Every President of the United States since then has also been the President of Puerto Rico.
Who governs Puerto Rico?
Just as all 50 states have governors, Puerto Rico also has a governor. There were governors of the Island under Spain as well as the United States, beginning with Ponce de Leon. His grandson was also one of the governors, and the first one who was actually born on the Island. La Forteleza is the oldest governor’s mansion in the United States, having been built beginning in 1533. The current governor, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, lives there now.
Spain appointed governors for Puerto Rico from 1508 until 1898, when the U.S. gained control over the Island. From 1898 until 1948, the federal government appointed the governors. The first of these governors to be born on the Island was Jesús Toribio Piñero Jiménez, appointed by President Truman in 1946.
In 1948, the voters of Puerto Rico were finally able to elect their own governors. The first elected governor was Luis Muñoz Marín.
Just as it is in the states, Puerto Rico is governed on a day to day basis by the governor and the elected legislators. However, Congress has the power to reject or depose the governor of a territory. This has never happened, but it is legally possible. Congress was also able to put in place an unelected Financial Management and Oversight Board, which was then able to overrule the decisions made by the elected officials of the Island. The White House fired most of the Board in 2025 and has not yet replaced the members. This makes it clear that Puerto Rico does not have sovereignty or full control over its internal affairs.
A Page from History: An End to the Illusion of Puerto Rico Sovereignty
Puerto Rico voters
Residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote in presidential elections. This is because states, not citizens, vote in these elections, through the Electoral College. Since Puerto Rico is a territory, not a state, U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico do not get to vote for their president. If they move to a state, they can immediately register to vote in their state. If Puerto Rico becomes a state, voters will be able to choose their president.
