Donald Trump shared this Saturday on his social network Truth Social an article from The Washington Post that documents the electoral decline of the Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar among her own voters, following the controversy sparked by her video criticizing the president's immigration policies.
The gesture by Trump —to amplify a note portraying Salazar as losing support— comes days after the president had already publicly warned her that "María only won thanks to me."
The article, written by Mariana Alfaro and published on September 23, features the testimonies of Latino voters from the 27th District of Florida who believe the congresswoman "misinterpreted" their feelings: their support for Trump has not wavered, but their support for her has.
"He has stepped out of line," said a Key Biscayne resident and Republican voter who supported Salazar in his last three campaigns, adding that Trump "is doing what he can, and could do even more."
Hours after echoing the article, Trump shared responses from his supporters questioning Salazar's actions.
The origin of the controversy was a bilingual video that Salazar published on September 17 filmed in front of the White House, in which she directly confronted the president: "Mr. President, your immigration policies have gone too far. In July, your administration detained fifty thousand people, and half of them had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisors are telling you."
The reaction was immediate. The Department of Homeland Security responded firmly: "Like it or not, Congresswoman Salazar, the men and women of ICE are enforcing the laws passed by Congress. There will be no amnesty for illegal immigrants. Not now or ever."
Trump maintained his support but made his disagreement clear: "Yes, I support her, and yes, I’ve seen it. I do not agree with her," he declared on September 18, adding that Salazar "has become a bit softer on the border."
Three days later, Salazar revealed on the CBS program «Face the Nation» that she had a private conversation with the president, which she described as «fantastic», and that Trump was «very receptive»: «I hope he paid attention to what I was telling him. But he listened to me,» said the congresswoman.
Despite this, the political damage seems real. Analyst Ana Navarro, who resides in the same district, summarized the situation as follows: "This announcement indicates that she is desperate. This was quite a dull race, and suddenly this announcement comes out. And then you look at the polls and realize that they are tied."
An internal survey by Bendixen & Amandi International, commissioned by the campaign of rival Democrat Eliott Rodríguez, shows both candidates tied at 45% among likely voters, with Trump registering a 54% disapproval rating in the district.
Rodríguez, also a Cuban-American and the son of refugees from the island, was a presenter for CBS Miami for 25 years.
His campaign raised about $120,000 in the week of the video, doubling the amount from the previous week, although Salazar significantly outpaces him in funds: he has around $2 million in cash compared to his rival's $661,000, according to data from the Federal Election Commission.
District 27 has a 73.5% Hispanic population, many of whom are Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian, and Nicaraguan immigrants who lost their migration protections following the measures of the Trump administration. The race is still classified as "likely Republican" by the Cook Political Report, but several analysts have already shifted it from "solid" to "likely."
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