Report: Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló to resign amid protests


Days after announcing he would not seek re-election but would stay in office, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló is reportedly about to step aside after all.
Rosselló, who has been facing calls to step down after the publication of leaked text messages in which he and his aides make sexist and homophobic comments and mock Hurricane Maria victims, is expected to announce his resignation on Wednesday, CNN reports. Secretary of Justice Wanda Vazquez would take over as governor.
This comes as hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Puerto Rico to demand the resignation of Rosselló, who in addition to the leaked chats also came under fire after two former members of his administration were arrested by the FBI for alleged corruption. President Trump in recent days has blasted Rosselló as a "terrible governor," Fox News reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Sunday, Rosselló announced that he would not run for re-election and would step down as New Progressive Party president, but he did not resign as protesters have demanded. "I have committed errors and I have apologized," he said. "I am a good man that has a grand love for my island and for all."
CNN's report follows previous reporting from two local media outlets in Puerto Rico that Rosselló is to resign, reports the Miami Herald, which prompted celebration from protesters. One outlet, El Nuevo Día, reported that Rosselló will make his announcement before noon.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Interest rate cut: the winners and losers
The Explainer The Bank of England's rate cut is not good news for everyone
-
Quiz of The Week: 3 – 9 May
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will robots benefit from a sense of touch?
Podcast Plus, has Donald Trump given centrism a new lease of life? And was it wrong to release the deadly film Rust?
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations