Hispanic voters sent Trump back to power. Now some are souring

January 19, 2026

Latino support for Donald Trump has declined significantly during his first year back in office, dropping from 49% in February to 38% currently, according to CBS polling. While Trump won 46% of the Latino vote in 2024—the highest for any Republican in US history—primarily due to economic concerns under Biden, many of these same voters now disapprove of his economic performance, with 61% dissatisfied with his handling of the economy and 69% unhappy with his inflation management. Additionally, 70% of Latinos disapprove of Trump's immigration enforcement approach, despite being evenly split on deportation goals themselves.

Who is affected

Latino voters (over 36 million people forming the largest non-white voting bloc)
Former Democratic Latino voters who switched to supporting Trump, including Sam Negron (Pennsylvania state constable in Allentown)
Low-income residents in predominantly Latino areas of North Philadelphia
Mexican-American communities in California, including residents like John Acevedo (Pasadena realtor) and Rebeca Perez (restaurant worker in Oxnard)
Latino ranchers like Amanda Garcia near the Mexican border in Texas
Latino Air Force veterans and public officials like Lydia Dominguez (Las Vegas school board member)
Latino workers and business owners affected by immigration raids and tariff policies
Undocumented immigrants and their families facing deportation (over 600,000 deported between January and early December 2025)
Agricultural workers and farm operations in California experiencing labor shortages

What action is being taken

ICE is conducting immigration raids across the country, including large-scale workplace operations in Oxnard, California
The Trump administration is deporting people, with over 600,000 deportations occurring between January 2025 and early December
Trump is implementing tariff campaigns that are affecting markets and trade
The White House is pointing to lower gas prices, tariff revenue, and foreign investment as economic accomplishments
Trump is repeatedly blaming Biden for lingering economic problems

Why it matters

This matters because Latinos represent the largest non-white voting bloc in the United States with over 36 million eligible voters, making them a crucial constituency that can determine election outcomes. Trump's historic 46% support among Latino voters in 2024 was instrumental in his electoral victory, but the significant erosion of that support—dropping to 38%—threatens Republican prospects in upcoming midterm elections. The shift demonstrates that Latino voters have weak partisan loyalty and will abandon either party when economic promises go unfulfilled or policies directly harm their communities. The declining support also reveals that the very issues that drove Latinos to vote for Trump—economic concerns and immigration policy—are now turning them against him, suggesting that practical outcomes matter more than party affiliation for this demographic.

What's next

Mike Madrid notes that mitigating or reversing troubling poll numbers among Latinos is likely to prove difficult for the Trump White House ahead of midterm elections later this year. Crystal Sarmiento (a Trump supporter) expressed hope that concerns can be remedied in time, suggesting Trump needs to "get in front of the messaging."

Read full article from source: BBC