President Donald Trump made a campaign stop in New Mexico Monday night in an effort to boost his support among Latino voters. Trump is deeply unpopular among Latinos in America—with a poll this month showing his approval rating at 25 percent—and it’s not hard to imagine why. Part of Trump’s appeal to Trump-y white voters is his “protection” of them and their interests by targeting and disparaging everyone else. So, as you can imagine, when Trump tried to sidle up to Latino voters Monday night, it got a bit awkward. “Yesterday marked the beginning of the Hispanic Heritage Month—who’s Hispanic here?” Trump asked the crowd. “Incredible people … we have much to celebrate.”
It got worse.
At one point, Trump called out Steve Cortes, who serves as a member of Trump’s Hispanic Advisory Council, from the podium. “He happens to be Hispanic, but I’ve never quite figured it out, because he looks more like a WASP than I do,” Trump said. “But I tell you what, there is nobody that loves his country more or is Hispanic more than Steve Cortes.” Oof, Trump talks about race like a tanked grandpa at Thanksgiving. “Nobody loves the Hispanics more. Who do you like more, the country or the Hispanics?” Trump continued. “He says the country. I don’t know. I may have to go for the Hispanics, to be honest with you. We’ve got a lot of Hispanics. We love our Hispanics. Get out and vote.”
The love is palpable.
