In what is sure to help Republicans with Latino outreach, news broke yesterday that leading GOP candidate Donald Trump received some glowing reviews from two of the Latino world’s most despised figures, former Gov. Jan Brewer, and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
“I believe that Mr. Trump is kind of telling it like it really, truly is,” Brewer told CNN’s Don Lemon last night. “You know, being the Governor, the gateway of illegal immigration for six years, we had to deal with a lot of things.”
“I think everybody knows that he’s right in regards to that — the coming across our border. So, we don’t even know how many [immigrants] are here.”
Of course, we know it’s a fact that unauthorized crossings from the southern border are at historic lows, but Brewer — who once falsely claimed there were a rash of beheadings in the Arizona desert — has never been great with facts.
And in keeping with the Arizona theme, Trump is also heading to the state this weekend to talk immigration with Joe Arpaio himself, who, according to the Arizona Republic, is close to getting hauled “back into federal court next month on charges of civil rights violations” by the Department of Justice.
“I’m going to Arizona this weekend where they want to talk to me,” Trump said. “Somebody said I’m the most popular person in Arizona because of my stance, and I’m going to be there this weekend.”
Meanwhile, Arpaio said it was “amusing” to see the heated response Trump has received from the worldwide Latino community for his bigoted remarks about Mexicans.
Trump has a “right to voice his opinion,” said Arpaio. “And I presume he is not going to back down. I would imagine he is going to continue to voice his opinion.”
The news about Trump’s upcoming rally with Arpaio is sure to continue headaches for the Republican Party. News also broke yesterday that RNC Chair Reince Priebus was forced to place a call to Trump to ask him to tone down his rhetoric, after donors, worried about the future of the party among Latino voters, expressed concern to Priebus.
But, Trump being Trump, confirmed the call occurred but denied he’d been chastised.
“Totally false reporting on my call with @Reince Priebus,” tweeted the Donald. “He called me, ten minutes, said I hit a ‘nerve’, doing well, end!”
This weekend in Arizona should be fun.
