Rebranded ‘Latino Americans for Trump’ coalition launches with notable Miami politicos

Former President Donald Trump arrives at a commit to caucus rally, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Waterloo, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Ex-President Donald Trump’s campaign to retake the White House this November just launched a rebranded coalition of Latino supporters called Latino Americans for Trump.

Many notable political players from the Sunshine State, particularly Miami, are on board.

Topping the list of members to the group, formerly called “Latinos for Trump,” is U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. He said Trump “is not going to play petty politics” while seeking a second term as the most powerful person in America.

“President Trump understands the challenges Hispanic Americans are facing under the (Joe) Biden administration. Everything costs more. Our communities aren’t safe. And the world is on fire,” he said. “His focus is on rebuilding this country and making life better for you and your family.”

U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez, Miami-Dade County’s immediate former Mayor, has endorsed Trump. So have incoming House Speaker Daniel Perez; state Reps. David Borrero, Tom Fabricio and Juan Porras; Miami-Dade Commission Vice Chair Anthony Rodriguez; Miami-Dade Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera; and Hialeah Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo.

“I am proud to endorse President Donald J. Trump,” said Cabrera, a GOP State Committeeman who in 2020 led Trump’s re-election campaign in Florida. “His leadership is (crucial) for restoring our nation’s prosperity and strength. Together we will make America Great Again, Again!”

Some 90 others threw support behind the coalition by Sunday, when Trump’s camp announced its creation. Among them: former state Rep. Carlos Trujillo, former state Rep. Bob Cortes, Miami Young Republicans Chair Armando Ibarra, Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanue and Alex Otaola, a social media influencer running for Miami-Dade Mayor.

Trujillo, who worked as an Ambassador to the Organization of American States from April 2018 to Jan. 2021, said it was the “honor of a lifetime” to serve under Trump and stand “firm against dictators and socialist regimes in Latin America.”

“After four years of weakness under Joe Biden,” he said, “Latino Americans need a second term of President Trump to restore our strength on the world stage and make America safe again.”

Polling last month from the Florida Chamber of Commerce found that 58% of Hispanics in Florida plan to vote for Trump, who enjoys 89% support among Republicans in the state. That’s because Latinos overwhelmingly favor stronger immigration policies and recognize that the Latino American community saw record-low unemployment under Trump, his campaign said.

Those feelings were reflected in the 2020 election, Trump said in a statement.

“In 2020, we got more votes from Hispanic Americans than any Republican in more than 50 years, and we won the Texas border counties that no Republican candidate had won in more than a century,” he said. “In 2024, we’re going to win an even larger share of the Hispanic American vote, setting all-time records for Republicans up and down the ballot.”

While Trump indeed holds an advantage in support among Florida voters, it’s not overwhelming, according to new survey results that Fox News released last week. The survey of more than 1,000 voters showed Trump with 50% support, just 4 points more than Biden, in a state where Republicans are on track to have 1 million more registrants than Democrats by November.

Maca Casado, Hispanic Media Director for Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign, said most Latinos know better than to be on Trump’s side. She cited the former President’s embrace at a campaign rally last week of ex-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a boogeyman for immigrant communities whose Latino-targeting racial profiling policies are projected to cost Arizona taxpayers more than a quarter-billion dollars.

“Where were all the Latinos at Donald Trump’s ‘Latino Americans with Trump’ launch? All we saw … was a wannabe dictator spouting his trademark hatred for our community, doubling down attacking immigrants, and espousing the same racist tropes against Venezuelans,” Casado said in a statement.

“The facts are not with Trump. This is the same guy who didn’t just campaign with, but kissed, America’s most infamous Sheriff and serial civil rights abuser, Joe Arpaio … Trump is the same guy who was good with ripping children from their parents. The guy who was one vote away from taking away our health care. And the same one who is running to go even further because attacking Latinos is ‘good politics’ in Trump’s eyes. Latinos deserve a President who is focused on creating economic opportunity for all of us and making our communities safer. If today showed our community anything, it’s this: we have to reelect Joe Biden.”

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Editor’s note: This report was updated to include a statement from the Biden-Harris campaign.