Former President Donald Trump heard from a former undocumented immigrant who plans to vote for him in the 2024 presidential election during a Saturday campaign event in Las Vegas.
According to ABC News coverage of the event, Trump issued his usual warnings about drug dealers and illegal immigration before praising Hispanic entrepreneurs.
"Hispanic people — they say you can't generalize, but I think you can — they have wonderful entrepreneurship, and they have — oh, do you have such energy. Just ease up a little bit, OK? Ease up," Trump said. "You have great ambition, you have great energy, very smart, and you really do, like natural entrepreneurs."
After his speech, Trump joined a Latino roundtable to discuss his economic ideas. Elias Trujillo, one of the panelists, shared his personal story. The Mexican American arrived in Utah with his family in 1995, overstayed his visa, and built a life in the U.S.
In 2011, Trujillo, now a restaurant owner, became a U.S. citizen. He expressed concerns about the high cost of labor and goods, adding that he trusted Trump's ideas to improve the economy.
According to ABC, at least one person in the audience laughed and applauded during Trujillo's remarks. The former president reportedly smiled at him.
Other participants in the roundtable included Goya president and CEO Robert Unanue, congressional candidate Mayra Flores, R-Texas, and Nevada Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown.
Trump's campaign event targeting Latinos comes as he counts on increased support from the demographic, even as he continues making controversial claims about immigrants and pledges to lead mass deportations if elected.
A new poll by The New York Times and Siena College found Vice President Kamala Harris underperforming the last three Democratic presidential candidates among Latino voters, while her GOP competitor maintains his support steady among the growing demographic.
In 2016, 68% of Latino voters backed Hillary Clinton over Trump. In 2020, 62% supported Biden. Harris currently counts on just 56% of the demographic's support, according to the latest poll results.
In comparison, Trump, the Republican presidential candidate since 2016, earned 28% of Latino support in his first presidential election, 36% in 2020, and 37% in the latest poll.
The poll also shows that 67% of Hispanic respondents do not feel Trump refers to them when he speaks about immigration, with 30% saying he does. Among Hispanics born outside the U.S., 43% felt he was referring to them, while 51% did not.
In an effort to regain support from Latino men, Harris's campaign announced the launch of "Hombres con Harris," a new initiative aimed at mobilizing Latino men in the so-called battleground states ahead of the November 5 election.
As part of the campaign's broader outreach to Latino voters, Harris is scheduled to participate in a televised town hall with voters in Las Vegas, organized by Univision.
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