Arizona lawmaker gets why some Latinos support Donald Trump
Jun 9, 2016, 5:50 AM | Updated: 11:19 am
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles as supporters cheer during a news conference at the Trump National Golf Club Westchester, Tuesday, June 7, 2016, in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. ( Photo/Mary Altaffer)
( Photo/Mary Altaffer)
PHOENIX — One Arizona lawmaker said he understand why some of the state’s Latinos are supporting Donald Trump, despite the candidate making numerous slights against Mexico.
“They’re upset with what our leadership has done,” state Rep. Martin Quezada (D-District 29) said. “They aren’t completely sure about who or what are the good guys or the bad guys. They’re looking for somebody outside the mainstream circle.”
In recent weeks, Trump has said the judge presiding over a lawsuit against Trump University has “absolute conflict” because he is “of Mexican heritage.”
Trump has brought up U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s ethnicity several times this year, including last week at a rally in San Diego. Curiel was born in Indiana.
Trump has also made disparaging remarks about illegal immigrants. He has called for a wall to be built on the Mexican border and claimed Americans would lose their nation to illegal immigration during a Phoenix-area speech.
Despite Trump’s eyebrow-raising statement, Quezada said he’s confident Latino voters will take a closer look at Trump when the primaries are over.
“[People say] I like this outside guy because he speaks his mind,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, is he really going to be a good leader?”
