Politics

‘Latinos For Trump’ Launching In Miami One Day Before Dem Debates

Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
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The Trump campaign is launching a new outreach effort aimed at bringing Hispanic voters to the polls for the president’s re-election in 2020.

“Latinos for Trump” is having its kickoff event in Miami, Florida just one day before the first Democratic debates, where 20 of the 23 candidates will make their case to voters across two nights. The event will feature Vice President Mike Pence and Republican politicians, including Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez.

“The strong Latino support for President Trump and his policies will be instrumental in re-electing the president for a second term,” Hannah Castillo, director of coalitions for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.

Florida’s Hispanic electorate nearly doubled between 2014 and 2018, as did the number of Hispanics registering to vote as Independents, presenting an opportunity for the campaign.

The campaign hopes to capitalize on some of the president’s pro-Hispanic policies, such as the low unemployment rate, his support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido against socialistic dictator Nicholas Maduro, and his crackdown on illegal immigration. (RELATED: Hispanic Unemployment Hits Record Low Under Trump)

A Latino supporter speaks on stage with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Venetian Hotel on October 30, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

A Latino supporter speaks on stage with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Venetian Hotel on October 30, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. / AFP / John GURZINSKI (Photo credit should read JOHN GURZINSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump received 28% of the Hispanic vote in the 2016 election, beating the predictions of many pollsters and political pundits who believed Trump’s sharp rhetoric on immigration would turn off immigrant communities.

A January poll from PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist during the government shutdown over border wall funding found a 50% approval rating for Trump among Latino adults, suggesting the Hispanic community responds well to the president’s fight against illegal immigration. However, more recent polls peg the president’s approval rating among Latino adults closer to the mid-20s.

In another recent effort to reach Latino voters, Trump did an interview with Spanish-language network Telemundo and touted the low unemployment rate, pinned family separation at the border on the Obama administration, and warned of illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. from China.