Analysis: Trump’s comments fuel GOP’s ‘Latino problem’
WASHINGTON – When Donald Trump disparaged Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and drug-runners during his presidential announcement, the slurs were initially dismissed as just another outrageous pronouncement from the blustery billionaire.
But as Latinos reel in anger and celebrities and corporate sponsors drop their associations with Trump, the Republican Party’s other presidential hopefuls face an increasingly uncomfortable choice: engage with Trump and elevate his already high visibility, or stay silent and risk appearing to condone his statements. So far, most have said little, hoping the controversy will fade.
It’s the latest Latino problem for the GOP, which will have great difficulty winning the White House if it fails to expand its overwhelmingly white base to include minorities. The problem will only worsen if Trump continues to do well enough in polls to qualify for the party’s televised debates.
On Wednesday, the controversy mounted as retailer Macy’s announced it was severing ties with Trump, joining broadcasters Univision and NBC. The moves reflected the growing clout of Latino consumers as well as corporate America’s declining tolerance for racially inflammatory remarks.
Trump fired back characteristically, saying that Macy’s and NBC had “totally caved,” and that their moves show they “support illegal immigration.”
Republican strategist Ana Navarro said most Republicans view Trump’s remarks as “cringe-worthy,” but are reluctant to speak out.
“It’s like getting into an argument with your crazy, distant uncle at Thanksgiving,” she said. “Why do it when you know he’s crazy and you only see him once a year? Most Republicans would prefer to close their eyes and hope that when we open them again, Trump will be gone. Problem is, he’s surging in polls and the backlash to his comments is getting bigger and longer. He is the toothache you can’t get rid of.”
Frank Sharry, executive director of the immigration advocacy group America’s Voice, said he was surprised that GOP leaders have not come out more strongly against Trump. “Can you imagine if he was talking about Jews? African-Americans?” Sharry said. “Would the GOP stand up? Of course they would. But the silence of the GOP on this is defining the party.”
The flare-up could be a foretaste of what the GOP can expect when the party’s presidential debates start next month. With 14 GOP contenders in the race already and two more on the way, the publicity-loving Trump may have every incentive to interject something inflammatory as a way to stand out.
Trump now ranks second after Jeb Bush among Republicans nationally, according to a new CNN/ORC poll released Wednesday, and he ties for second in the early nominating states of Iowa and New Hampshire, according to other surveys. That’s well above the threshold Trump would need to participate in the first debate in August on Fox News.
Having him on stage would be “a nightmare scenario” for the GOP, said Republican strategist Rick Wilson. “Trump is like a trap for us.”
“There’s a segment of people in my party who find this sort of spittle-flecked populism appealing – the bluster of a bellowing, screaming loudmouth – because they think that’s the way to win,” Wilson said. “They’re frustrated about a lot of things in the Republican Party. But this is not a solution to their problem. This is a solution to (Democratic candidate) Hillary Clinton’s problem.”
Trump has refused to back down or apologize, telling Fox News this week that his June 16 remarks – in which he characterized those crossing the U.S.-Mexico border as mostly criminals, drug-runners and rapists – are “totally accurate.” He filed a $500 million lawsuit against Univision for announcing it would drop coverage of the “Miss USA” pageant, which Trump co-owns.
Trump’s comments have ricocheted across Latino communities in the United States and abroad, reminding many of past GOP attitudes – including 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s suggestion that immigrants in the United States illegally should simply “self-deport,” and GOP Rep. Steve King’s assertion that young people coming to the United States had “calves the size of cantaloupes” from carrying drugs across the border.
Among the GOP candidates, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, defended Trump – calling him “terrific” and saying, “He speaks the truth.”
Bush, whose wife is Mexican-American and who has openly courted Latinos, has said little publicly beyond a response he gave in Spanish over the weekend to a reporter’s question after a town hall meeting in Nevada.
“I do not agree with his remarks,” Bush said, according to a translation provided by the campaign. “They do not represent the values of the Republican Party and they do not represent my values. The man is wrong.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whose parents are from Cuba, has not directly weighed in but appeared to downplay the importance of Trump’s remarks last week, calling Trump “an incredibly entertaining person.”
A spokesman for the Republican National Committee dismissed Trump’s comments as last week’s news. But privately, GOP officials are deeply concerned that the controversy will expose the party’s bitter divisions over what to do about the nation’s immigration problem.
“The Republican Party has worked so hard to try to be inclusive, and to have someone like this spout hate, it just turns everything backwards,” said Abel Maldonado, a Republican and a former lieutenant governor of California.