A group of undecided Latino voters questioned the actions and words of ex-president Donald Trump during a town hall Wednesday night to decide if he’s the candidate of their choice.
The town hall, “Los Latinos preguntan…Donald Trump responde” (Latinos ask…Donald Trump responds) took place in Miami, FL, and he was able to respond directly to each question.
Both candidates, Trump and Kamala Harris, are courting the Latino vote. Latinos represent 15% of the total electorate in the U.S., and their vote could significantly change the outcome in swing states like Nevada and Arizona.
One of the most expected and controversial questions was asked by Ramiro Gonzalez, a construction worker from Florida who was a Republican but is now undecided.
He told Trump that his actions and inaction in the last few years have been disturbing. He referred to the January 6, 2021 insurrection, the initial denial and lack of information during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fact that close allies, including former Vice President Pence, are not supporting him in this election.
Trump said the number of people who don’t support him is minimal. In regards to the insurrection, he said thousands of people showed up on January 6 because they truly believed the election was rigged.
“That was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions and hundreds of thousands,” said Trump. “They asked me to speak and I went and I used the term ‘peacefully and patriotically’.”
Trump said he hopes that this time, there will be an honest election.
On the immigration topic, Guadalupe Ramirez, a Chicago-born mother of three, asked the ex-president what his plan for immigration reform was. On the same topic, Jorge Velazquez, a California farmer, asked Trump what would happen to the crops if he deported all undocumented workers, as he is planning to do if elected.
Trump didn’t answer any of the questions directly, instead, he highlighted his plan for a strong border. He said that under his administration, immigrants “came legally and through a good system.” He also said he is “the best thing that happened to farmers” without specifying why.
Trump said he had the strongest border and the best economy in history and reiterated that recent immigrants are stealing the jobs of “Blacks and Hispanics.”
“We have to have a lot of people coming to this country. We just want them to come legally because they release hundreds of thousands of people that are murderers, drug dealers, terrorists, they are coming in and nobody knows who they are,” he said.
On the education topic, Daniel Perez, a recent graduate, asked former President Trump what his plans are to create real job opportunities for recent graduates. Perez said that despite having a college degree, he is working as a delivery driver because he hasn’t found a good-paying job.
Trump said he plans to bring companies under a system of taxes called positive taxation.
“I was doing it… a combination of taxes and incentives,” he said.
He added that many companies are closing due to the high costs and are moving out of the country to stay alive.
“We are going to bring companies back into our country. We lost so many at a level we haven’t seen before,” he told Perez. “Then you are not going to be looking at one job, but at the job that you want.”
While Trump kept his posture and answered all the questions from the Latinos that attended the town hall, many of his answers were vague and mainly an attack on the Democrats and Vice President Harris.
An analysis of Trump’s performance
The Trump townhall happened one week after Kamala Harris townhall took place in Nevada, also hosted by Univision-Televisa, on October 10.
Independent Political Analyst Luis Alvarado told CALÓ News that the questions asked to Trump were on point and reflected the sentiments of the Latino community.
“President Trump is not trying to convince people or influence people to vote for him if they're undecided. He is now laser-focused on ensuring his base comes out to vote, and him going to Univision is more of a proof that he's not afraid to face the enemy,” said Alvarado.
The weekly 2024 National Latino Tracking Poll analysis by Entravision, AltaMed Health Services and BSP Research was revealed on Tuesday's Week 5 results. It showed that while Harris maintains steady support from 60% of Latino voters, a range she has held between 59%-61% over the past three weeks, Trump has 35% support, fluctuating between 35%-36% in recent weeks.
The poll showed that Latino independent voters favoring Trump have increased from 34% in week 3 to 46% in week 5 (this week).
The poll showed that Harris is overperforming in California while Trump is getting Texas. Harris has 65% support in California compared to 56% in Texas, and Trump has 39% support in Texas compared to 30% in California.
The Latino voters' top concerns are the cost of living, jobs, the economy and reproduction rights.
Alvarado said this election is nowhere near close, and we still don’t know who is getting closer to winning.
“What I have experienced in 2016 and 2020 is a coin toss, and nobody's going to know until we all know,” he said.
The election is on November 5, 2024. For more information on the voting process visit:https://www.lavote.gov/
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