Sánchez's Doberman most hated by the right who has been bent by railway tragedies

MadridUntil September 26, 2023, the day of the failed investiture debate of Alberto Núñez Feijóo in Congress, Óscar Puente (Valladolid, 1968) was practically unknown to the general public. Pedro Sánchez's assignment to this rank-and-file PSOE deputy, former mayor of Valladolid, to give the reply to the PP leader catapulted him media-wise. Especially due to his provocative tone and the pungent content of his speech. That day, articles proliferated explaining who Puente was, the surprise of the day, who soon took on the labels of "scourge" and "battering ram" of the right, and became one of the socialists most hated by the populars. An animosity that has been increasing during the legislature following his appointment as Minister of Transport, a position he has combined with acting as a doberman for the head of the Spanish executive against the attacks of the opposition.

Puente has defined himself as someone with "many faces." Probably, the one that has caused the most comments is that of a Twitter user. Unlike other ministers and high-level political leaders, the Minister of Transport manages his X account personally. It is, in fact, the first thing he does when he wakes up in the morning, just as he himself has acknowledged. With almost 329,000 followers, he is, by far, the member of the Council of Ministers with an active account –aside from Sánchez– that has the most and publishes the most content. His messages have provoked numerous controversies and criticisms for the lack of institutionalism of some comments, in which he has engaged in hand-to-hand combat with political opponents, media figures, and even ordinary users. Puente, for example, has not bitten his tongue when it comes to confronting far-right agitators. He labeled Vito Quiles a "piece of shit" and even publicly reproached Felipe VI for committing the "ignominy" of greeting Javier Negre.

Having no hesitation when it comes to defending his political stance has earned him the role of Sánchez's unofficial spokesperson in a term that has been particularly conflictive. However, the comments that have hounded him in the days following the Toledo train accident are those he has made in recent years, in which he has boasted about the Spanish railway network, despite the numerous incidents, and has even joked about the system's breakdowns. At the end of November last year, less than two months before the Adamuz tragedy, which left 46 dead, Puente had reiterated that the train "is living the best moment in its history in Spain" and predicted that by 2029 high-speed rail could reach 350 km/h. The serious tragedies on the line between Madrid and Andalusia in 2026, with a toll of more than 100 dead, have now led to this triumphalist framework being thrown back at him.

Vox, for its part, has pointed him out from minute one due to his appearance, a week before the Toledo accident, on Marc Giró's television show. Puente participated in a sketch in which he reacted to an elevator breakdown with the comment: "As if we didn't have enough with Renfe". Those who have also repeatedly attacked him are the pro-independence parties due to the operation of Rodalies in Catalonia. Puente has admitted on more than one occasion that the network suffers from "underfunding", although he has always defended that Sánchez's executive has been investing to "reverse" the situation. However, in the last year, the problems with the service and the infrastructure have been a constant.

The response to the DANA

These criticisms regarding his tone and his management had a hiatus two years ago with the DANA tragedy in the Valencian Community. Puente shifted the usual content of his profile and dedicated himself to providing timely updates on the state of the infrastructure and the work of the crews on the tracks affected by the floods. He also avoided direct attacks on political opponents during the critical moments. Very different is what he has done after the Toledo accident when, on the first day, he used X to briefly justify that he was on the front line without providing any subsequent additional information or responding to comments from other users.

"Sofía Puente's brother"

"In my world, he is Sofía Puente's brother". These words, spoken by the younger sister of the Minister of Transport, went viral a month or so ago. The right and the far-right pointed to Sofía Puente, a career prosecutor and high-ranking official in the Spanish government, for having signed the instruction that expanded the criteria for granting nationality through the Democratic Memory Law. In an interview on TVE, she defended her long career in the administration of justice and in the Spanish government, prior to the rise of the head of Transport. When she made this move, in fact, Óscar Puente was mayor of Valladolid.

A law graduate from the university of the capital of Castile and León, he worked as a lawyer until reaching the mayoralty in 2015. In 2023, the PSOE was the leading force, but a PP-Vox agreement ousted him. During that period, he was already making the same controversial use of social media. Looking ahead to the 29th of November, the PSOE leader had placed him as head of the list for Valladolid, but before the elections, he was brought down by the "unacceptable", in Sánchez's words, railway tragedies that occurred during his term.