President Trump hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month reception at the White House, where he praised Hispanics as “hard-working,” “smart,” and “energetic — sometimes too energetic.” He invited attendees to tour the construction site of his new ballroom, joking that “only a Hispanic could survive that fall.” However, his nearly hourlong remarks barely touched on key issues like immigration and the economy, which are dragging down his approval ratings.
Mr. Trump complained that his administration was “doing an extremely poor job of promotion and an extremely great job of running the country itself,” taking some blame for not adequately explaining the nation’s progress. His approval rating among Hispanics has dropped to 26 percent in a recent New York Times/Siena poll, with only 8 percent approving of his handling of the cost of living.
In recent weeks, Trump has faced public criticism from Republican allies, including Representative María Elvira Salazar, who ran an ad accusing him of betraying the Hispanics who supported him in 2024. Senator Jim Justice also criticized ICE sweeps for disrupting agricultural communities, urging Trump to acknowledge mistakes.
At the event, Trump defended his immigration policies, calling enforcement “the hardest job” and rejecting calls to ease enforcement measures.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing