Univision Interview: Trump Calls for Increased Border Security and Says He Will 'Win the Latino Vote'

Former President Donald Trump gave on Thursday night an interview to Spanish-speaking network Univision, in which he tackled some issues considered a priority for many in the Latino community: border security, immigration and relations with Mexico.

Trump also answered why he believes he's gaining traction with this demographic, saying that those who live in the U.S. "want security and a border." A recent survey by The New York Times/Sienna focused on six key swing states showed Trump's level of support among Hispanic voters at 42 percent, an unprecedented figure.

Numerous polls indicate Trump has been steadily gaining support with the Latino electorate during the past decade, increasing from 28% in 2016 to 36% in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.

Asked about why he believed more Latinos were identifying as conservative, he said: "It is a big honor because it has happened since I became President. They are entrepreneurial, energetic. Some of the best businesses are ran by Latinos. They want security too. They don't want people breaking into their houses. I think that is one of the reasons why they like me."

Journalist Enrique Acevedo also asked the former President whether he believed that the border with Mexico should be militarized to deal with the influx of drugs, a salient topic on Wednesday's Republican debate, in Which Trump, who holds a large lead over other candidates, didn't participate.

"Many say it was my idea. Mexico doesn't like what's happening at the border either. Mexico is also a victim of this. There is a tremendous drug problem. It's destroying families and bringing death, we have to do something about it," Trump said.

And he added: We need to talk about China also, because a large part of this comes from there. They are selling a lot going through Mexico and we need to stop this. It is a different war on drugs and we're going to win it. they want it solved." Trump went on to criticize Biden's policy, saying that his "open borders" are "horrible for Mexico."

The latest average of polls compiled by FiveThirtyEight shows the former President has a 56.6 percent support, while Florida Governor and second-place contender Ron DeSantis lags behind him by almost 45 percentage points at 14.1 percent. Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley comes in at third with 8.7 percent.

In another passage of the interview, Trump was asked about whether he would support migrants fleeing from authoritarian regimes getting a special status. He reiterated the need for legal pathways to enter the country: They are very good people, they need to enter legally. We can do it quickly but they need to enter legally. Caravans are coming through Mexico in amounts I've never seen, we can't let that happen. These countries are not sending their best," he said.