Latinos for Trump

Latinos for Trump
Latinos para Trump
Co-chair
Jeanette Nuñez[1]
Co-chair
Margarita Palau-Hernandez[2]
Lourdes Aguirre,[3] Sergio Arellano,[4] Alonzo Baldonado,[5] Katrina Campins,[6] Marili Cancio,[7] José Carrión[8]
Parent organization
Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign
AffiliationsLatinas for Trump, led by Ileana Garcia[9]

Latinos for Trump (Spanish: Latinos para Trump) is a coalition of Latino supporters of Donald Trump, formed in the U.S. state of Florida in June 2019.[10] As of the 2024 presidential election cycle it has expanded beyond Florida with an active presence nationally, especially in the Southwest, Puerto Rico, and the Mexican American community.[11][12][13]

As in any election cycle, the Latino vote is split between candidates across the political spectrum.[14] Although the vast majority of Latinos for Trump support came from Hispanic and Latino conservatism, some liberals identified shared priorities.[15]

History

Background

The historical context for the optimism among Latino Republicans can be traced back to the election of George W. Bush in 2000. Bush secured significant Latino support, showcasing the importance of engaging with the growing Latino population for the Republican Party's future. The history of Latinos for Trump is marked by notable individuals and political shifts within the Hispanic and Latino conservative community.[16]

George Lombardi, an American real estate investor and advisor to Donald Trump, is credited with launching social media groups supporting Trump's candidacy in 2016, including "Latinos for Trump," despite not being officially part of the campaign. Another supporter that wasn't officially part of the campaign, Enrique Tarrio was the Florida state director of the grassroots organization, and also chairman of the Proud Boys.[17][18]

2020 campaign

The Trump campaign introduced the "Latinos for Trump" coalition, but it sparked tension with early Latino supporters who felt sidelined. These supporters had been working on Latino outreach since the 2016 election under similar names. The original grassroots efforts had significant groundwork, contrasting with the newly launched campaign-backed coalition. Despite disagreements, some early supporters, like Marco Gutierrez remained committed to supporting the president.[9]

The campaign's early days were nevertheless successful in capturing more of the Latino vote. In the 2020 election, Donald Trump's surprising success among Latinos, securing thirty-two percent of the vote, led to a reevaluation of assumptions about Latino political preferences. The movement also found expression in events such as the Latinos for Trump demonstration held in Miami on October 18, 2020.[19] The official Latinos for Trump coalition is credited with helping to secure the Latino vote in Florida.[6]

2024 campaign

Much greater efforts have been put in for the 2024 election cycle, with the Latinos for Trump campaign now focusing on a national scale. The Latinos for Trump campaign is actively engaging with Latino business leaders, celebrities, and media outlets.[20] Especially in courting the Hispanic media and highlighting Latin American foreign relations.[21] The campaign began to engage with the significant support from Hispanic and Latino Trump supporters at Trump's rallies, this includes influencers like Billboard charting hip hop duo Trump Latinos who debuted on the charts with their 2023 song "Latinos For Trump".[22]

Media efforts

Ivan Garcia-Hidalgo, along with executives Michael Caputo and Giancarlo Sopo, former media industry professionals and GOP strategists for the Latinos for Trump coalition, have made efforts to create a conservative media outlet called Americano Media.[23]

References

  1. ^ "Surge in Latino support for Trump helps him win Florida". Al Jazeera. November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  2. ^ "HEARD ON THE TOM/TOMS". California Political Review. June 27, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  3. ^ "¿El sueño americano sigue vivo? Latinas de las campañas de Trump y Biden responden". 14ymedio (in Spanish). October 28, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  4. ^ Leingang, Rachel (September 13, 2020). "Latinos for Trump courts a group that historically votes Democratic in Arizona". azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Lyman, Andy (September 17, 2019). "'Latinos for Trump' call on supporters to talk to friends and neighbors". NM Political Report. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Luscombe, Richard (November 5, 2020). "'Republicans built the base': how Joe Biden lost Florida's Latino voters". the Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Hanks, Douglas; Leibowitz, Aaron (October 30, 2020). "Hialeah was a tie in '16. Can Trump do better vs Biden? Six Miami-Dade cities to watch". Miami Herald. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  8. ^ Stein, Jeff; Dawsey, Josh (July 11, 2019). "Puerto Rico corruption scandal ripples through Washington as White House, Congress call for greater spending scrutiny". Washington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Steakin, Will; Kim, Soo Rin (July 10, 2019). "Trump campaign clashes with early Latino surrogates who feel shunned in launch of 'Latinos for Trump'". ABC News. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "Trump cultivated the Latino vote in Florida, and it paid off". NBC News. November 4, 2020. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  11. ^ Zabludovsky, Karla; Prakash, Nidhi (November 14, 2020). "Why So Many Latinos Voted For Trump". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  12. ^ "Trump cultivated the Latino vote in Florida, and it paid off". NBC News. November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  13. ^ Scherer, Michael; Dawsey, Josh (November 14, 2023). "Univision, the Spanish-language news giant, shifts its approach to Trump". Washington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Nitzberg, Alex (January 17, 2020). "Latinos Explains Why They Voted for Trump". townhall.com. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  15. ^ Cadava, Geraldo (December 29, 2020). "The Deep Origins of Latino Support for Trump". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  16. ^ "Will Latino voters help lead the GOP to victory in 2024?". Brookings. July 18, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  17. ^ Sidner, Sara (October 1, 2020). "Leader of Proud Boys also leads grassroots group Latinos for Trump". CNN. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020.
  18. ^ Karni, Annie (October 2, 2020). "The Florida director of a pro-Trump Latino group is the chairman of the Proud Boys". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  19. ^ Corral, Álvaro J.; Leal, David L. "Analysis | One in four Latinos voted for Trump last time. They'll likely do so again". Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  20. ^ Womer, Hailey (November 10, 2020). "Trump's Ad Spending Breakdown in the "Latinos for Trump" Facebook Page – Illuminating". Illuminating – helping journalists cover social media in the presidential campaign. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  21. ^ Paz, Christian (June 23, 2023). "The new reality about Latino voters that Democrats must accept". Vox. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  22. ^ McIntyre, Hugh (November 3, 2023). "Donald Trump's Name Is Back On The Billboard Charts". Forbes. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  23. ^ Allison, Natalie (January 23, 2023). "'Fox News in Spanish': Inside an upstart media company's big plans to impact the 2024 election". POLITICO. Retrieved November 23, 2023.