This Latino Republican Trump Speech Watch Party Was Neither Large, Nor Especially Latino

It was nan Los Angeles Hispanic Republican Club’s potluck statement for President Trump’s State of nan Union address, but location was a problem:

Not galore Hispanics showed up. Or people, period.

About half of nan the 20-some folks who trudged into nan club’s Woodland Hills offices were Latino. Four of them were president David Hernandez and his family.

“People are sick, hurt, aliases fed up pinch politics,” nan soft-spoken 77-year-old told maine pinch a laughter earlier nan reside began.

It was a melodramatic move from 3 years ago, erstwhile Trump reclaimed nan White House pinch 48% of nan Latino vote, nan highest percent ever captured by a Republican statesmanlike candidate. A grounds number of California Latinos won legislative seats. The Hispanic Republican Club opened chapters successful Ventura and Orange counties. Rodriguez now sits connected nan California Republican Party committee of board on pinch erstwhile Cudahy politician and chap nine personnel Jack Guerrero.

How nan quesadillas person flipped. CNN canvass released earlier this week showed Latino support for Trump went from 41% past February to conscionable 22% correct now.

“It’s the visuals of those raids,” Hernandez acknowledged pinch a sigh. “It only makes consciousness that group will consciousness afraid. Some of our supporters and friends, they’re suffering.”

He turned to his vice chair, Tony Barragan, who reviews restaurants for the club’s play power show. Near them, a array hosted 3 clipboards fat pinch paperwork for caller members to fill. It had a full of 1 name. “How galore of nan places you’ve visited are emotion nan crunch?”

“Half,” Barragan replied. His begetter came to nan United States from Mexico illegally then became a pioneering Mexican restaurateur successful Los Angeles.

“We gotta triumph nan Hispanic vote. I dream that he [Trump] changes his attack and remembers that each men are endowed by their Creator pinch definite unalienable Rights.”

Fat chance of that, Tony.

The cheers were muted arsenic nan State of nan Union pageantry kicked off. When Trump claimed early connected that “inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast, nan roaring system is roaring for illustration ne'er before,” only 1 nine personnel offered a play clap.

Maybe nan assemblage knew that was conscionable excessively large of a whopper.

No 1 seemed peculiarly animated successful nan opening isolated from Rolando Salmerón. He sat successful nan beforehand cheering and fist-pumping and chanting “USA! USA!” each clip Republicans gave Trump a opinionated ovation.

Los Angeles Hispanic Republican Club president David Hernandez hosts a governmental power talk show astatine nan studios of AM Radio 870 successful Glendale successful 2022.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The electrical engineer, who gave his property arsenic “over 1,000,” came to nan United States from El Salvador illegally successful 1975 but was now a citizen. He told maine during meal that Trump had done “more bully successful 1 twelvemonth than Democrats ever did successful 30” and particularly supported his deportation deluge because MS-13 members assaulted and bullied his boy during his precocious schoolhouse years.

“Trump deported 3 cardinal group — Obama deported measurement more,” said Salmerón. He wore a chapeau emblazoned pinch “FIGHT” complete nan celebrated photograph of a bloodied Trump raising his fist conscionable aft a would-be assassin’s slug grazed his ear. On nan measure was an embroidered type of nan president’s signature. “Unfortunately, nan media that we person — including nan L.A. Times — doesn’t opportunity nan truth.”

I mean, I deliberation nan truth is Trump’s deportation instrumentality mightiness not hesitate to hassle Señor Salmerón complete here, for illustration it has different Latinos, if he was successful nan incorrect spot astatine nan incorrect time.

We watched Trump’s reside connected Fox News, which kept cutting to unflattering shots of blimpish scapegoats for illustration Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Those prompts uncorked snide comments from members — “Traitor!” personification yelled erstwhile nan tv flashed an image of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett — that turned nan ambiance successful nan room from reserved to abruptly rollicking.

Hernandez, however, stayed silent.

While Trump bloviated astir tariffs, nan Hispanic Republican Club chair nibbled connected dessert. As nan triumphant U.S. men’s lucky squad made a cameo, Hernandez was looking astatine his smartphone. Taxes, forbidden immigration, overseas argumentation — thing seemed to move Hernandez moreover arsenic his chap members sewage rowdier and rowdier. When Rep. Brad Sherman appeared connected nan screen, Hernandez yet said something: “There’s our congressman!”

But erstwhile Trump began to onslaught his enemies, Hernandez began to susurration comments pinch a grin to his daughter, who sat astatine nan lonely check-in table. He laughed aft nan president gestured to nan Democrats sitting glumly earlier him successful nan House of Representatives chambers and growled, “These group are crazy.” When Trump announced nan awarding of Medals of Honors to a Korean War combatant aviator and a Marine who helped to seizure erstwhile Venezuela dictator Nicolás Maduro, Hernandez — a Navy seasoned — yet applauded.

I thought Trump’s speech, nan longest State of nan Union reside ever, was a giant, xenophobic bore. So did viewers — a CNN survey recovered it was his worst-received State of nan Union reside ever and classed moreover little than immoderate of Joe Biden’s attempts. But astatine nan Hispanic Republic Club bash, we skeptics mightiness arsenic good been surviving successful a different dimension.

“I liked nan individual touch,” Hernandez told maine after. “We request much of that. This is simply a marathon, not a sprint.”

“It was beautiful,” said 68-year-old Ricardo Benitez, who’s moving for a authorities assembly spot successful nan San Fernando Valley and greeted Salmerón pinch a “¿Entonces, cipote? [What’s up, man?] — nan only Spanish I heard each night. The Salvadoran migrant was impressed by “how our president acknowledged victims of crime and really he freed Venezuela...He’s doing a bully occupation sloppy of what his enemies are saying.”

Benitez scoffed erstwhile I asked if he thought Trump’s migration raids would costs Republicans Latino support successful this year’s midterms.

“Democrats don’t cognize anything. They deliberation nan migration raids will extremity group from voting. That’s not true. Deportations person ever happened. Obama deported much people.”

Various governmental flyers for various statement candidates beryllium connected a array astatine nan offices of L.A. Hispanic Republican Club connected Tuesday successful Woodland Hills.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

Nearby, Lani Kane helped to clear tables. “I for illustration that [Trump] honored civilians and our military,” said nan 50-year-old, whose T-shirt identified her arsenic a girl of a World War II veteran. “But successful a way, I understand why Democrats don’t for illustration him. The reside was each ‘I, I, I.’”

The Sylmar resident stayed quiet erstwhile I asked if she thought Latinos would enactment pinch nan GOP for nan midterms and beyond.

“If Republicans tin proceed to beforehand our values and protect our younker and little taxes, I dream they do,” Kane yet said.

But did she deliberation they would? This time, Kane nodded vigorously.

“I deliberation Hispanics are starting to aftermath up.”

Well, I work together pinch her there. But I don’t deliberation they’re waking up nan measurement Kane thinks.

When myself and a Times photographer thanked nan group and left, nan number of Latinos astatine nan Los Angeles Hispanic Republican Club State of nan Union potluck, already small, dropped by a quarter.