Former President Donald Trump tried to strike a friendlier tone with Latino voters during a town hall in Florida but faced tough questions from undecided audience members on critical issues, including immigration and the January 6 Capitol attack.
Throughout the hour-long town hall hosted by Univision, Trump sought to highlight his economic achievements and court the demographic — a crucial group in different battleground states like Nevada and Arizona.
Trump focused a large portion of his address on the economy, claiming that Latinos were better off during his presidency. He pointed specifically to job creation, mentioning his golf course in Doral, Florida, as an example of the employment opportunities he had provided. However, when pressed about immigration, particularly the impact of his plans to deport millions of undocumented workers, Trump avoided directly addressing how this would affect labor-intensive industries in the state like agriculture.
A farmer in the audience asked who would perform essential farm work if mass deportations were carried out, but Trump shifted the conversation toward crimes committed by undocumented migrants. He then reiterated inaccurate claims about immigrants arriving from countries that were "emptying out" their jails and "mental institutions," having used Venezuela as an example in the past. "We want workers, but they have to come in legally and love our country," he said.
Trump's remarks on immigration included criticism of the Biden administration, accusing it of allowing "hundreds of thousands of murderers, drug dealers, and terrorists." Additionally, when asked why he had urged Republican lawmakers to block a bipartisan immigration reform bill earlier this year, Trump emphasized that the U.S. already had the strongest borders under his administration. He seized the opportunity to pivot once again, this time attacking the crime rates in Democratic-led cities like Chicago.
The January 6 Capitol attack, a sensitive issue for many voters, also became a central point of contention during the town hall. One audience member who identified as an unregistered Republican, expressed concern over Trump's role in the riots and his handling of the pandemic. The voter questioned why several key figures from Trump's administration, including former Vice President Mike Pence, no longer supported his 2024 campaign. Trump downplayed the Capitol riot, describing it as a "day of love" and insisting that the crowds were motivated by concerns over the 2020 election being "rigged," rather than by his actions.
According to the 2024 PRRI American Values Survey, conducted with over 5,000 Americans, nearly one in four Republicans with a favorable opinion of Trump (23%) and 19% of all Republicans believe that if Trump loses the election, he should declare the results invalid and take whatever measures are necessary to assume office. In contrast, 12% of Democrats believe Kamala Harris should take similar actions.
During the town hall, Trump was also confronted about his false claims that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, had been eating pets—an accusation debunked by local authorities. When asked why he had made such statements, Trump maintained that he was repeating what had been reported and promised to investigate further.
A recent poll by The New York Times and Siena College showed that 56% of Hispanic voters would choose Vice President Kamala Harris, while 37% would vote for Trump. Though Trump has made some inroads with Latino voters since 2020, his town hall revealed lingering doubts about his leadership and policies.
The Univision event took place less than a week after Harris held her own town hall with the network. At that event, she made her pitch to undecided Latino voters by conveying the message that, unlike her opponent, she is a champion of the middle class and vowed to continue President Joe Biden's asylum crackdown at the border.
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