Trump Blew It With Latino Voters -- but Then, So Did Democrats

Ruben Navarrette
Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:54:34 -0700
Opinion

SAN DIEGO — President Donald Trump has blown up every bridge he built to Latinos and many of those who pulled the lever for him now have a bad case of voters' remorse.

In November 2024, on his way to being elected to a non-consecutive second term, Trump got as much as 48% of the Latino vote.

Yet, Trump's job approval rating among Latinos is now just 28%, according to a recent poll by The Economist/YouGov. Meanwhile, a CNN poll puts Trump's approval rating among Latinos at just 22%.
Updated: Tue Mar 17, 2026

SAN DIEGO — President Donald Trump has blown up every bridge he built to Latinos and many of those who pulled the lever for him now have a bad case of voters' remorse.

In November 2024, on his way to being elected to a non-consecutive second term, Trump got as much as 48% of the Latino vote.

Yet, Trump's job approval rating among Latinos is now just 28%, according to a recent poll by The Economist/YouGov. Meanwhile, a CNN poll puts Trump's approval rating among Latinos at just 22%.

Que paso? How did Trump become persona non grata with many of the Latinos who supported him just 16 months ago?

First, Latinos over-index when it comes to assimilation. And our political views often mirror those of other U.S. constituencies. In other words, Trump is in trouble with Latinos for many of the same reasons that he is underwater with other voters: persistent inflation, aggressive tariffs, unlawful immigration raids, a reckless foreign policy, an inability to focus on any crisis for more than 10 minutes, etc.

Trump's overall approval rating across all groups is only about 37%, according to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University. Latinos marinate in those juices.

Immigration is also crushing Trump. You see why no U.S. president has carried out mass deportations in more than 70 years. In 1953, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower launched the notorious "Operation Wetback" and removed more than 1 million immigrants — along with thousands of Mexican Americans who were caught in the net.

A November 2025 survey by The Pew Research Center found that 65% of Latinos disapprove of the administration's approach to immigration enforcement.

Like other Americans, Latinos want secure borders and they support the removal of dangerous criminals who are in the country illegally. But, like other Americans, Latinos are also fond of the Constitution and its guarantees of due process, free speech, the right to bear arms, the protection against illegal searches, etc. We supported what Trump promised he would do, but not what he delivered.

But then, neither of the major political parties delivers for Latinos.

Republicans failed us by giving in to racism and nativism. They decided the best strategy for scaring up votes from white suburban soccer moms was to frighten them into thinking the United States was being invaded by bad hombres who would harm them and their families. They convinced folks who relied on undocumented labor that their nannies, housekeepers and landscapers were really criminals, drug traffickers and rapists. Then the Republicans positioned themselves as the last line of defense.

Democrats failed us by giving into fear and opportunism. Either they hid under their desks, or they impersonated Republicans by becoming more "moderate" on issues like immigration. It was a short walk. One group that hates competing with immigrants is organized labor. Unions control the Democratic Party. So every Democrat is just one phone call away from becoming an immigration restrictionist. In fact, the last three Democratic presidents — Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden — all were.

Let me tell you a story, or two.

About 25 years ago, when I lived in Texas and wrote for the Dallas Morning News, I would be invited to speak to Republican groups about how the GOP could make itself more attractive to Latinos. Elderly women in the audience took notes. Former President George W. Bush — a proud son of the Lone Star State — had made inroads with Latinos in the 2000 election, and farsighted Republicans wanted to build on that success.

Contrast that to what happened about five years later when I moved to California and spoke to a Democratic group about how that party could do better with Latinos. After my remarks, a man who was running for office jumped out of his seat. He was angry, but also — like most Democrats — arrogant. "Why should I do all that work?" he asked. "If I do nothing, I can still get 40% of the Latino vote. I'm happy with that."

Yes, Trump blew it with Latinos. And yes, Democrats will likely benefit.

But look at the big picture. As long as Democrats are stuck on stupid when it comes to Latino voters, they're just going to lose that support again down the road.

In 2024, Republicans didn't do much right to deserve to win over Latinos, as Democrats did a lot of things wrong. In 2028, Democrats won't have done right by Latinos and they'll still benefit from all the things Republicans have done wrong.

Now you know why so many Latinos hate both parties. Both deserve criticism and neither deserves our support.