President Donald Trump held a reception at the White House on Wednesday to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, where he praised the Latino community, recalled his electoral gains among those voters, and asserted that his connection with them began long before he entered politics.
"Probably we shouldn't generalize, but I do: they are hardworking people, they are incredibly intelligent, and they have a lot of energy. Sometimes, too much energy," Trump said to the attendees gathered in the East Room, as recorded live by C-SPAN.
The president also highlighted the results he achieved in 2024 in Hispanic communities, particularly along the Texas-Mexico border.
"I won in all the Spanish-speaking cities. They told me, 'You won everywhere along the border with Mexico, absolutely everywhere.' That had never happened before. No one had ever achieved that," he stated.
The results of 2024 did reflect a significant advance for Trump in the Texas border, although not a victory across all border territories.
The Republican won 12 out of the 14 Texas counties that directly touch the border with Mexico, according to an analysis by The Washington Post. One of the most significant results occurred in Starr County, which has a population that is approximately 97% Latino, where they became the first Republican presidential candidate to prevail since 1892.
Trump also appealed during the event for a personal relationship with the Hispanic community.
"I have loved them from the beginning. I loved them long before I decided to get into this politics thing," he assured.
Rubio, Cuba, and the Hispanic Heritage
The reception was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and one of the central figures in the administration's policy toward Latin America.
Trump introduced him as "the highest-ranking Hispanic American in the history of our country" and once again emphasized his role in policy towards Havana, having praised him for the same reason in the past few weeks.
“Look at what he is doing with Cuba. Look at what he is doing with Cuba”, said the president, before describing Rubio as a “master” in his relations with foreign leaders. Trump had already praised Rubio's role regarding Cuba earlier on Wednesday.
Rubio then took the floor and asserted the American identity of the community: "Hispano-Americans are Americans, and we love this country."
Trump also defended his border security policy to the attendees.
"I build a wall to keep bad people out. And you want that bad people stay out more than anyone," he stated.
The Latino vote, once again in dispute
Trump's words come just a few weeks before the midterm elections in November, where the behavior of the Latino electorate is once again receiving special attention.
In 2024, Trump made significant gains among those voters. In Texas, exit polls attributed to him 55% of the Latino vote, compared to the 44% obtained by Kamala Harris. He also won all four counties in the Rio Grande Valley, a predominantly Hispanic region where Republicans had historically faced greater challenges.
However, a poll conducted by Hart Research for TelevisaUnivision, published by Axios on September 8, revealed a different scenario among 1,500 registered Latino voters in 17 competitive House districts: 63% disapproved of Trump's performance, while 36% approved. Looking ahead to the midterm elections, Democratic candidates led Republicans among these voters by 58% to 35%.
The same study detected Republican setbacks regarding 2024 in several of those districts. In two competitive congressional districts in Florida, for instance, respondents shifted from declaring a one-point advantage for Trump in the presidential election to a 13-point advantage for the Democratic candidates for Congress.
During the reception, Trump also acknowledged difficulties in conveying his economic message. "I have done a very poor job explaining my economic record," he admitted, although he defended the state of the country.
In an official presidential message published on September 17, Trump had already stated that Hispanic Americans make the country "stronger, more prosperous, and prouder with each passing generation."
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