Latino support for the GOP is collapsing under Trump

Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are driving the Latino community even further away from the Republican Party, according to a poll commissioned by UnidosUS released Tuesday.

About 37% of Latino voters said they had voted for a Republican in the past. But more than half (56%) of those previous Republican voters said they agreed that it’s hard to support a Republican candidate right now.

And only 16% of all Latino voters say they like the Republican Party today.

“The poll shows that support for the GOP is eroding,” Clarissa Martínez-de-Castro, UnidosUS deputy vice president for policy and advocacy, said in statement about the poll. “Historically, a substantial number of Latino voters have been potential swing voters not bound by party affiliation. But it is also clear that there is a shift away from the GOP, as the Republican party has come to be seen as embracing or leading the charge on anti-immigrant and anti-Latino rhetoric and actions.”

Two in three Latinos are frustrated with the way Trump and his allies treat Latinos and the immigrant community.

The poll was released the same day Vice President Mike Pence went to Miami to help launch the campaign’s “Latinos for Trump” initiative. In a recent interview, Trump claimed his racist anti-immigration policies are supported by the Latino community — that “Hispanics want toughness at the border” — and that he thinks he’ll fare “much better” with Hispanic voters in 2020.

But that’s not what voters are saying.

“While the president claims Latino support is growing, that is not based in reality. In fact, he has brought down the overall likability of the entire party,” Martínez-de-Castro said in a conference call to discuss the poll results.

According to the poll, the top three issue areas Latino voters want candidates to focus on are health care, jobs and the economy, and immigration.

Trump is actively trying to rip health care away from 20 million Americans; championed a tax scam law that gave billions to wealthy corporations while leaving working-class families behind; and has made his racist anti-immigrant agenda the centerpiece of his administration.

“Latino voters want a candidate who values them and will unify the country,” Martínez-de-Castro said in her statement. Trump’s actions are almost exactly the opposite.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.