Yesterday, in an attempt to commemorate Cinco de Mayo, the GOP’s standard-bearer thought it would be a good idea to tweet a picture of himself grinning over something called a taco bowl.
“The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower grill,” read Donald Trump’s tweet, always the self-promoter. “I love Hispanics!”
“I love Hispanics!” “I love the Blacks!” “I love the Muslims!” This is what apparently passes for outreach in the GOP now. Donald Trump belittles, ridicules, and lies about Latinos and other groups all year.
Then during a “Latino holiday” not even celebrated by most US Latinos, he gives us pandering of the most insulting kind.
When reached for comment about Trump’s tweet, Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, responded, “He’s trying. Honestly, he’s trying.”
No, Donald Trump is not trying. Trying would be treating Latinos with dignity. Trying would be not reducing us to a dish that isn’t even authentically Mexican. Trying would be not accusing Mexicans of being criminals and “rapists.”
Donald Trump’s followers like to justify that particular slander by claiming that he was referring to “illegals,” not Mexicans or Mexican-Americans. But Latinos commonly see an attack on one group as an attack on all.
The numbers don’t lie. Recent polling from a trusted polling firm, Latino Decisions, shows that a full 87% of Latino voters have either a “very” or “somewhat” unfavorable view of Trump.
In Florida, perhaps home to one of the richest bastions of Latino Republican voters, a full 68% of Latino voters said Trump’s views would make them “less likely” to vote Republican in November.
When 57% of Latino voters surveyed say they know someone or are related to someone who is an undocumented immigrant, anti-immigrant rhetoric is more than just rhetoric — it’s personal. It’s about our friends, our family members, and the ones we love.
To Trump and others, a taco bowl tweet may just be a big joke. Priebus may try to explain it away as an attempt at outreach. But to the rest of us who live under Trump’s constant barrage of insults, we’re not amused. We’re not entertained.
And we’re certainly not interested in a party that would think so little of us.
