The evangelical Hispanic vote is up for grabs, Samuel Rodriguez says, but Donald Trump would need to “heal the hurt” of his “inflammatory” statements to gain their support.
Trump, presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican party, continues to make waves with social media provocations, one of the latest being a photo of himself about to eat a taco bowl with the following caption: “Happy Cinco de Mayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!”
Seen as highly offensive by some and amusing by others, much is now being made of his ability to win over Hispanic votes in the general election. Will he be able to do so in light of not just this recent post but his past inflammatory statements on immigration and border security issues?
And what of the support of Hispanic evangelicals?
An internal survey recently taken of members of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference revealed that Hispanic evangelicals remain undecided. No candidate from either party has a lock on their support and more than one-third of those polled claimed that there is no one who clearly represents them at this point in the race. The respondents also noted that the candidate’s policies mattered more to them than rhetoric.
In a statement released last Wednesday, NHCLC President Samuel Rodriguez said that this “tells us that evangelical Hispanics are still making up their minds,” and that it “is good news for the remaining candidates who will need their support in a general election, but will have to earn it.” Rodriguez also added that it is time for Donald Trump to “put action to his words and attempt to heal the hurt and damage his previous statements have caused.”
Read more at Trump Should ‘Heal the Hurt’ Caused by ‘Inflammatory’ Rhetoric About Latinos, Samuel Rodriguez Says.
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