menu Home chevron_right
NEWS & CULTURE

Why Latino voters have turned on Trump | America, Actually

Vox | September 19, 2026



Latino voters have often been called a “sleeping giant” in US politics, but Equis Research co-founder Stephanie Valencia says that’s wrong: they’re a “swinging giant.” This dynamic, independent-leaning electorate is actively redefining national politics. And now, many of the Latino voters who helped propel President Donald Trump to the White House in 2024 are having second thoughts.

In this episode of America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon breaks down the dramatic decline in Trump’s approval rating among the group, the myth of the “monolithic” Latino vote, and how unforced errors in Spanish-language campaigning can leave crucial swing voters on the table. Later, Colorado congressional candidate Manny Rutinel discusses how he’s campaigning in a 40% Latino battleground district.

00:00 The Latino vote swings back
02:04 Latinos should be known as a “swinging giant”
04:34 Where campaigns go wrong
08:57 Why Trump’s approval rating has fallen among Latinos
11:51 Beyond left vs right
14:46 Demographics aren’t destiny
17:15 The view from Colorado
19:45 Trump vs the Democratic agenda
22:35 Healthcare policy shift
26:18 How to win Latino voters
28:17 Takeaways

America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.

If you enjoy our reporting and want to learn more, sign up for Astead’s weekly newsletter, Midterms, Actually. Just go to www.vox.com/midtermsactually to learn more, and get in-depth analysis about this year’s election right to your inbox.

Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO

Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.

Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Written by Vox

Comments

This post currently has 28 comments.

  1. @PIrinaVe

    September 19, 2026 at 2:17 pm

    Please specify, Mexicans and Cubans. I think the fact that they don’t speak English or understand it well, made them easy target to manipulation.Also, they don’t have higher education or even high school.

  2. @Loooam

    September 19, 2026 at 2:17 pm

    I found it quite embarrassing, watching Manny attempt to maneuver out of giving an answer for why he now believes that a public option is better than a single-payer system for health insurance. I also feel like the host let him off the hook after a couple of attempts at pinning him down. 🫩

    I know that it gets uncomfortable, asking the same question over and over again, but you have to be more persistent than the person dodging the question.

  3. @nothingburger3000

    September 19, 2026 at 2:17 pm

    i think latinos for trump was probably the dumbest politcal group i have ever seen. they supported a guy who is openly racist and speaks out against latinos, calls mexicans racist, and ran a campaign on building a wall between mexico and the united states

  4. @jasonz9902

    September 19, 2026 at 2:17 pm

    Why would anyone that's not a white racist vote for tRump. I can't believe any minority group would vote for him. What wrong with people like your not gonna be part of the club voting for the GOP they want to deport you.

  5. @iemjay

    September 19, 2026 at 2:17 pm

    This isn’t about whether they’re Latino or not. It’s more about how people believe in everything that Trump says. All politicians lie, but they know it, Trump actually believes his own lies. That’s what makes him so dangerous because he’s able to convince so many people. We learned this during his first term. And people still voted for him. They want to believe his lies even when they know he’s lying.

Comments are closed.




This area can contain widgets, menus, shortcodes and custom content. You can manage it from the Customizer, in the Second layer section.

 

 

 

  • play_circle_filled

    92.9 : The Torch

  • play_circle_filled

    AGGRO
    'Til Deaf Do Us Part...

  • play_circle_filled

    SLACK!
    The Music That Made Gen-X

  • play_circle_filled

    KUDZU
    The Northwoods' Alt-Country & Americana

  • play_circle_filled

    BOOZHOO
    Indigenous Radio

  • play_circle_filled

    THE FLOW
    The Northwoods' Hip Hop and R&B

play_arrow skip_previous skip_next volume_down
playlist_play