Calle 13‘s René Pérez “Residente” sat down with presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders for a 12-minute interview where they talked about Puerto Rico, The Monroe Doctrine and their love for baseball.
The Puerto Rico singer and activist, who endorsed the Vermont senator during a rally in New York a couple weeks back, didn’t hold back during his conversation with Sanders. “After being a colony for 120 years, why hasn’t the United States granted Puerto Rico independence?,” asked Residente in Spanish.
The “Pal Norte” singer then went on to ask if Sanders became president, he’d grant the island independence from the U.S. “That’s something the people of Puerto Rico need to decide on. They should get informed about both options and do what is best for the island.”
But the conversations wasn’t just about political topics; both also shared stories about playing baseball and who their favorite baseball players are. Check out the 12-minute conversation between Residente and Sanders below:
Earlier this month, Residente spoke at a Sanders rally in the Bronx to create awareness of the social and economic issues Puerto Rico and other Latin Americans are facing.
“I could speak of the racial injustices that people are suffering in this country and in the rest of the world, and the need for a comprehensive immigration reform,” he said. “All of these are serious issues in America, but today, I came to speak briefly about the history of Puerto Rico and why I’m here tonight in support of Bernie Sanders.”