BUYER’S REMORSE

Why Latino Voters Say They’re Turning Against Trump

A focus group of voters unanimously regretted their support for the president.

Latino voters enthusiastically helped usher President Donald Trump back into the White House last November. But a new focus group suggests that some are already feeling burned by that choice.

Conducted by The Bulwark, all seven focus group members told the outlet they regret casting their ballots for the president.

Six participants rated the president’s performance a “D” grade, while one issued him an “F.”

“I think a lot of people are a lot more hateful, they feel they can be a lot more open about it, because they see it everywhere so much that no one is really trying to be nice and get along and respect differences,” Kandy, a participant from Colorado, told the Bulwark.

“They think it’s okay to pass their judgments and stereotypes willy-nilly because no one does anything about it, because they see the people in control doing it.”

Trump secured a near-historic 48 percent of the Latino vote in the 2024 election, according to the Pew Research Center. It was an extraordinary gain from a voting bloc that decisively rejected him in 2016 and 2020.

But the focus group findings align with broader national trends suggesting that Trump’s support among Latino voters may already be eroding.

Participants named Trump’s handling of the economy and sweeping mass deportation efforts as primary points of contention.

That wasn’t always the case. Most group members said they supported the president’s tough stance on immigration—until they witnessed the human cost.

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“Then you see the other flip side where you see families being ripped apart,” Reed, a participant from Nevada, told the outlet.

“I didn’t think it was going to be that dramatic where it’s going to be hurtful in that sense.”

Janella from California said ICE raids have upended her life. She said someone in her neighborhood was detained by ICE a week prior to the focus group, which was held Sept. 10.

“My kids go to school here and they have friends that [are] worried about it, and for kids that’s not okay—to be worried that they’re going to come home and not have their parents home," she told Bulwark.

The focus group included Latino voters from across the country, including Nevada, California, Florida, New Jersey, and Virginia. Participants agreed to speak on the condition that their last names not be used.

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Other polls are also signaling a downturn in Trump’s favorability among Latinos. A survey from Somos Votantes, obtained by POLITICO, shows Trump’s favorability down 20 points among the group.

Among Latino men, favorability slid from 52 percent in May to 47 percent in September. Support among young Latino voters—once a pillar of Trump’s 2024 base—plunged to 33 percent from 43 percent over the same period.

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Laura EspositoBreaking News Reporter

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