© 2024 Allbritton Journalism Institute

Donald Trump Makes His Pitch to Latino Voters — In a State That’s Not In Play

“Don’t make me waste a whole damn half a day here,” Trump said.

Trump in Allentown, PA
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Donald Trump wasn’t shy about why he traveled to New Mexico on Thursday — he said the trip is good for his “credentials” with the Latino community and that he wanted to put in time meeting with Latino voters.

New Mexico is a blue state and not a presidential battleground, but Trump used it to cite his gains with Latino voters in the 2020 election, including in South Texas. He also made a case for why they should support him, a closing pitch in the final stretch of the campaign in which he tried to appeal to Latinos on business and immigration, promising “a level playing field.”

“Don’t make me waste a whole damn half a day here,” Trump said, boasting that “Hispanics love Trump.”