Óscar Puente accuses the Popular Party of deceiving with the controversy of Ayuso's penthouse: "They are artists at calling people idiots"

The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, appeared this Monday on the set of 'Malas Lenguas' for one of the first major interviews of the new stage of the TVE program. With Esther Palomera and Gonzalo Miró leading the La 2 segment, Puente reviewed practically all fronts of the start of the political year, from the migratory crisis in Ceuta to the controversial penthouse acquired by the Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso.

And precisely with the Madrid president, he left some of his harshest words. Puente believes that Ayuso "is a problem, or should be, for the right" and has accused the Popular Party of trying to disguise an operation that, in his opinion, is much simpler to understand than what the regional Executive proposes.

"The case of the penthouse, for me, what strikes me most is that everything is what it seems," he stated. The minister maintains that the Community acquired the property thinking of the president and criticizes that the operation was carried out through Planifica Madrid to then initially present the space as a possible office linked to the works of the Real Casa de Correos.

Puente recalled the characteristics of the property, nearly 500 square meters with a terrace of about 200, to question that explanation. "They are artists at calling people idiots," he launched. He also reproached that the purchase was made "secretly" and that, once publicly known, the regional Government tried to deny what he considers "such a clear and crystalline matter."

The minister also responded to the usual controversies he has with Ayuso. When asked about the personal attacks they exchange, he recalled that the Madrid president even called Pedro Sánchez a "son of a bitch" from the Congress's guest tribune and later politically exploited that episode. "She lives installed in a lack of respect for the adversary," he stated.

Ceuta and the warnings that no one dimensioned

A good part of the interview has revolved around the migratory crisis in Ceuta. Puente has rejected the accusation that the Government knew precisely the magnitude of what was going to happen on July 30 and 31 and decided to remain with its arms crossed. "It is an absolutely preposterous thesis that does not hold up," he replied.

The minister did acknowledge that "probably" there was "less foresight than would have been desirable", although he differentiated warnings about an increase in entries by swimming from a specific alert about the arrival of tens of thousands of people in a few hours. This distinction, according to Puente, makes it possible to reconcile the explanations offered by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, with those of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.

Robles had defended that intelligence services conveyed warnings during the previous days. Sánchez maintained this Monday that no report anticipated an entry of such magnitude. Puente has tried to close the apparent contradiction: "No one warned of the dimension of the entry that was looming over Ceuta".

He also provided an episode directly related to his ministry. As he explained, during the first days, spaces in the port of Ceuta were offered to house some of the migrant people, but the Government of the autonomous city initially rejected them. Later, other locations were studied and finally the port alternative has been recovered.

For Puente, public officials must now focus on resolving a "very serious humanitarian" emergency for both Ceutians and migrant people. "We must think about solutions and stop strategies of whether this wears down or does not wear down the Government", he demanded.

The conversation has also reached Felipe VI after Sánchez announced this morning a future visit of the Head of State to Ceuta and Melilla. Puente ruled out that the president's words hid a criticism of the Royal House and considers that the reproach was directed towards those who have politically used the monarch during the crisis.

The minister has recalled that only Adolfo Suárez, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Pedro Sánchez have visited Ceuta as presidents of the Government during the democratic era, and that Sánchez has done so on five occasions. José María Aznar and Mariano Rajoy, he added, were there during electoral campaigns, but "they only went to give rallies". The only visit by a head of state to Ceuta during this period was that of Juan Carlos I in 2007, when Zapatero was in power.

Puente has even responded about his almost permanent activity on X. He has posted during all 31 days of August and admits that there may be a certain "addiction," although he explains it for a much simpler reason. "Politics is my great passion," he assured before admitting that even during his vacations it is difficult for him to have his phone nearby and stay out of current events.

Sánchez, his future in the PSOE and Adamuz

The interview has also brought back speculations about a possible candidacy of Óscar Puente to one day succeed Pedro Sánchez. The minister has again ruled them out for the present, although he has not wanted to sign a renunciation for a future scenario that does not yet exist.

"My option is Pedro Sánchez," he insisted. Puente recalled that he has supported the current general secretary since 2014 and considers that that commitment was one of the best services he has been able to provide to the PSOE. "We have the best reference, the best candidate, he is my bet and he will be my bet," he affirmed.

Asked expressly if he rules himself out for when Sánchez eventually leaves the socialist leadership, he responded with another question: "Why would I rule myself out?" Puente maintains that not knowing what will happen in four years makes it useless to anticipate candidacies and defines himself as someone willing to "pull the cart" from the position that corresponds to him.

"What suits my party at this moment, and I believe for a long time, is for Pedro Sánchez to remain in charge," he concluded on that matter.

The last stretch has led the minister back to his portfolio. Seven months after the Adamuz train accident, in Córdoba, which left 46 dead and more than 120 injured, Puente has reiterated that the investigation will be long and that its conclusions are now out of the hands of the Ministry of Transport. The judicial investigation remains in the hands of the judge in charge of the case and the technical inquiries correspond to an independent investigative body of the Government. Transport, he said, will collaborate with both and will await their conclusions before determining what happened and what responsibilities may arise.

Puente has also announced that railway operations this summer have been better than he himself expected after the operational blow caused by Adamuz. The fleet plan "has worked very well" and punctuality data are "much higher than in 2025", he advanced.

The Ministry of Transport will release the full data on railway traffic and punctuality recorded during the summer this Tuesday.