Former President Donald Trump took part in a special Univision Town Hall event titled “Latinos Pregunta: Donald Trump Responde” this week. As the Republican contender for the presidency, he fielded questions from Latino voters, sparking a wide range of reactions on social media concerning his performance.
Observers voiced their opinions on Trump’s evasions, outbursts, and the visible reactions of the live audience to his comments.
The audience engaged Trump on numerous subjects, including immigration, the events of January 6th, and his competitor, Vice President Kamala Harris. Throughout the event, Trump often resorted to avoiding direct answers, instead opting for deflections and rants, steering clear of several specific inquiries aimed at him.
For example, farmer Jorge Veláquez challenged Trump on one of his campaign’s central themes: mass deportations. Veláquez shared his experiences in agriculture and emphasized the critical contribution immigrants make as agricultural laborers, questioning who would fill the roles of those deported under Trump’s proposed policies.
In response, Trump shifted the dialogue towards the southern border, asserting that farmers prospered during his administration, a claim that lacks substantiation. A 2022 report by NBC News indicated that farmers had cited improvements during the Biden presidency as they recovered from the challenges faced during Trump’s term. An article in The Guardian mentioned farmers expressing intent to support President Joe Biden in the upcoming 2024 election.
During a lengthy segment, Trump reiterated his view of an overwhelmed southern border populated by individuals he described as murderers, people from “insane asylums,” and criminals.
Audience members were visibly taken aback when Trump characterized the January 6th events as a peaceful protest, referring to it as a “day of love.” Voter Ramiro González, hailing from Tampa, Florida, probed Trump about his responsibilities or lack thereof during his presidency amid the turmoil of January 6th. González voiced his concerns regarding Trump’s leadership during his term, particularly in relation to the insurrection and misleading comments made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What unfolded next shocked many attendees at the town hall. Trump claimed that only a small number of his former staff are not in his corner and expressed his disagreement with former Vice President Mike Pence’s certification of the 2020 election results. He revisited the topic of January 6th, accusing the media of distorting the reality of that day and asserting it was a peaceful demonstration. He went on to boast about the crowd size, suggesting it “could have been the largest group I’ve ever spoken [to] before.”
Then, he attempted to distance himself from the insurrection narrative, arguing that Democrats had failed to connect him to the events and bizarrely stating that the Biden administration’s open border policies somehow influenced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Social media users quickly voiced their reactions to the event, with many humorously noting the evident disappointment among the live audience members.
Image Source: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock
