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President Donald Trump explained his strong “relationship” with Hispanic voters in an interview Wednesday with Maria Herrera Mellado from Americano Media.
In the interview, Mellado told the 45th president, “We conducted a poll that shows that as every other major poll in the country reflects, there is a significant shift among Hispanic voters towards conservatives.”
When asked about the contributing factors to this historic shift, Trump said, “Well, I think we really have a relationship” with Hispanic voters. He added, “I think I started it.”
The 45th president’s popularity with Hispanic voters has significantly increased since 2016. Trump told Mellado that although his campaign did well with Hispanic voters in 2016, he explained, “We did much better in almost every way” in 2020.
“I got 12 million more votes in the second election in 2020,” he continued.
“We did really well with the Hispanics,” Trump said about his 2020 election numbers. Despite the media portraying the 45th president as racist, Trump’s policies and respect for the Hispanic population have enabled him to develop a strong relationship with Hispanic voters.
Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial election showed that Republicans continue to gain traction with Hispanic voters and build upon the relationship Trump developed with Hispanic voters.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., won an unexpected victory for the Republican Party, receiving a significant amount of support from Hispanic voters. According to a Fox News poll, Youngkin received 54 percent of the Hispanic vote count in the general election.
Republican candidates will have an opportunity to build upon this shift in the 2022 midterm elections this November. With the Biden administration failing to tame inflation, rebuild the economy, enable energy independence, and secure the border, the Democrat Party is losing the support of the Hispanic population.
Trump further highlighted his success with Hispanic voters during his interview, saying, “If you look at the border towns in Texas, I won the border towns in Texas.” Emphasizing the extraordinary nature of this victory, he added, “I don’t think that’s been done, they say, since the Civil War.”
Diagnosing why Hispanic voters have joined Trump’s MAGA movement and the Republican Party, Trump said, “I did great with the Hispanics. You know why? Because they’re very incredible people with great energy and they’re very entrepreneurial.”
Specifically, Trump mentioned border security as an important issue for Hispanic voters. “They understand the border better than anybody else, and they want security at the border,” he said.
After discussing the border, Trump concluded his comments about his growing popularity with Hispanic voters, saying, “They like me, and I like them.”
Trump’s interview with Americano Media is not the first time the 45th president has expressed his love and respect for Hispanic voters. Previously, he has stated, “I think they know that I love them,” and, “I have great respect for them.”