Donald Trump made a pitch for Hispanic voters on the friendly confines of conservative talk radio on Thursday.
Trump told Laura Ingraham on the radio that he loves “the Mexican Americans” and has many of them working for him. Ingraham is a Trump supporter who may serve as a stand-in for Hillary Clinton during the GOP nominee’s debate preparation.
“To the Mexican Americans who are listening to this show today, who might still need some reassurance that you know you’re going to be president of all the people, what would you say to them?” Ingraham asked Trump.
“Well I love the Mexican Americans; as you know I have tremendous numbers that work for me,” Trump answered. “I’m friends with them. You look at some of the jobs I have where we have so many people that are Mexican American. They’re hard workers. They’re tremendous people.”
He continued, “The ones that know me like me a lot. I will tell you. Like me a lot.”
But several prominent Latino surrogates for Trump spurned the GOP nominee following his trip to Mexico and immigration policy speech in Arizona on Wednesday. Jacob Monty, an attorney who fundraised for Trump earlier this summer, resigned after Trump’s Arizona speech per Politico. And Alfonso Aguilar, Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles president, similarly rescinded his support for Trump on Thursday morning on CNN.
Hispanic voters’ decisions could prove determinative in critical battleground states across the country, including Florida and Colorado, which may determine the outcome of the presidential election and the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
