Univision, a Spanish-language television network, hosted a town hall with former President Donald Trump on Oct. 16 to appeal to Latino voters, a group pivotal in the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. The town hall consisted of Trump dodging questions, defending his claims of immigrants eating pets and criminalizing immigrants.
Most importantly, Trump once again revealed that he is not an ally to Latinos. His continual racist remarks and attacks towards the Latino community demonstrate that he is not for us but against us.
Despite Trump’s pattern of disrespecting the Latino community, the coalition Latinos for Trump stands strong in their support, as reflected in their mission statement, which claims that Trump supports the belonging of all Latinos in the United States. However, one does not need to scroll far through political news headlines to find evidence that contradicts this statement.
The coalition group Latinos for Trump should be acknowledged for ignoring the harm Trump has done to the Latino community. Latinos who support Trump play a role in the harmful impact his attitudes have on our community by allowing him to disrespect Latino culture. We must see this coalition as a group of people so desperate to assimilate into American culture that they reject their own people and the needs of their community. The group is nothing more than an embodiment of the internalized racism that Trump has fostered in his bigoted rhetoric.
Trump’s intentions toward the Latino community have been clear since the beginning of his presidential campaign in 2015. His infamous announcement speech criminalized Mexican immigrants, and he later defended his racist claims, stating, “I can never apologize for the truth,” in a Fox News interview. Trump’s demonization and criminalization of Latinos was catastrophic, in some instances leading to attacks on Latinos simply for speaking Spanish. The rhetoric surrounding the criminality of the Latino community encouraged people to assault Latinos as if they were nothing more than criminals deserving of violence. His comments on Mexican immigration also undervalued the valuable contributions of immigrants, reducing them to an invasion.
It’s difficult to ignore the irony of a coalition such as Latinos for Trump, given that Trump’s racist remarks and policies routinely oppose the community. It raises the question of whether Latinos who are not immigrants themselves find a sense of belonging in the United States by distinguishing themselves as something other or different from the Latinos that Trump villainizes.
In doing this, they contribute to the oppression by supporting the oppressor, hoping to further distance themselves from the victimized group — in this case, immigrants. Latinos for Trump is a stark example of a group distancing themselves from immigrant communities in hopes of gaining social mobility.
However, we cannot critique the coalition for siding with the oppressor without naming the influence of white supremacy that produces this form of intra-racial discrimination. Without institutional white supremacy continually marginalizing groups, Latino Trump supporters would not feel the need to seek acceptance from the oppressor. Journalist Paola Romos in The Atlantic magazine also describes the opposition from Latinos to immigration as a “desire to prove their Americanness.”
Trump’s recent viral comment during the presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, in which he accuses immigrants of eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, raises the question of why a coalition of Latinos supporting Trump even exists. This anti-immigrant statement resulted in severe harm to the Haitian community as bomb threats caused fear among residents. This is just one of the many examples of Trump’s ongoing anti-Latino rhetoric, demonstrating that his words carry dire risks to the Latino community.
Latino voters should consider their upbringing and heritage. Specifically, voters from immigrant households should keep in mind the hard work their parents have put in to succeed in this country and the barriers they have faced from individuals and institutions representative of Trump’s hate. It is crucial for Latino voters from immigrant households to be the voice for their parents, who may be unable to vote but have made significant contributions to this country despite being rejected and treated wrongly.
We must honor the struggles and contributions of past generations of immigrants who are continually being devalued and criminalized by Trump.
As a culture deeply rooted in the value of family, we cannot turn our backs on our immigrant brothers and sisters who have contributed to this country yet remain unrecognized, undervalued and underappreciated.
The coalition Latinos for Trump is deliberately ignorant of Trump’s animosity toward our people.
Zahira Vasquez is the 2024-25 Assistant Opinion Editor. She can be reached at zivasque@uci.edu.
Edited by Trista Lara and Bianca Marroquin.
