Former President Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that the Hispanics who voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 were evangelical Christians who opposed gay marriage and abortion so fiercely they overlooked illegal immigrants “in cages” and Trump’s “racism.”
Notably, the “cages” Obama to which was referring were built and used during his administration. And though Obama posits a coherent argument about abortion, Trump, unlike his predecessor, has always supported gay marriage; Obama did not politically embrace gay marriage until 2012.
“People were surprised about a lot of Hispanic folks who voted for Trump,” Obama admitted during an appearance on NYC radio show “The Breakfast Club.” “But there are a lot of evangelical Hispanics who, the fact that Trump says racist things about Mexicans, or puts undocumented workers in cages, they think that’s less important than the fact that he supports their views on gay marriage or abortion.”
LISTEN:
Obama on @breakfastclubam: “… There’s a lot of evangelical Hispanics who, the fact that Trump says racist things about Mexicans, or puts undocumented workers in cages, they think that’s less important than the fact that he supports their views on gay marriage or abortion." pic.twitter.com/8OpocwYrLV
— The Recount (@therecount) November 25, 2020
Ben Domenech, co-founder of The Federalist, ripped “cold heartless toolbag” Obama for the “bigoted” take.
“What a f***ing bigot this guy is,” Domenech started a Twitter thread. “Oh I dunno maybe it had more to do with DEFUND THE POLICE and SOCIALISM IS FINE than gay marriage, you cold heartless toolbag.”
Oh I dunno maybe it had more to do with DEFUND THE POLICE and SOCIALISM IS FINE than gay marriage, you cold heartless toolbag.
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) November 25, 2020
“Oh, and they aren’t ‘evangelical’. They’re Catholic,” he pointed out.
“There is literally no proof – on a data basis, polling basis, anecdotal basis – that Obama’s ‘gay marriage drove Hispanics to vote Trump’ claim is true. It’s a bigoted claim, and it’s a lie.”
There is literally no proof – on a data basis, polling basis, anecdotal basis – that Obama's "gay marriage drove Hispanics to vote Trump" claim is true. It's a bigoted claim, and it's a lie.
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) November 25, 2020
“Remember when Trump appealed to Hispanics by highlighting gay marriage? Was it mentioned in one ad, one speech – anywhere?” he posed. “Trump was, unlike Obama, the first president elected who embraced gay marriage. Obama’s bigoted revisionism about Hispanics in 2020 is utter bulls***, totally baseless. Will anyone in corporate Democrat media acknowledge it?”
Trump was, unlike Obama, the first president elected who embraced gay marriage. Obama's bigoted revisionism about Hispanics in 2020 is utter bullshit, totally baseless. Will anyone in corporate Democrat media acknowledge it?
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) November 25, 2020
“Maybe the problem had more to do with suing nuns, defunding police, and arguing socialism is totally fine. There’s immense polling data on that front. Find me one indication that Hispanics hating gay marriage drove any votes,” he concluded. “But hey, keep it up with the ‘Hispanics hate gays and need to use LatinX’ rhetoric, I’m sure that will work.”
But hey, keep it up with the "Hispanics hate gays and need to use LatinX" rhetoric, I'm sure that will work.
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) November 25, 2020
As noted by The Daily Wire, Trump massively improved turnout among Hispanics this election cycle despite consistent accusations of racism against the president from the mainstream media.
Politico’s Marc Caputo reported over the weekend that Trump improved his standing with Latinos in 78 of America’s 100 majority-Hispanic counties, sparking concern for Democrats.
“Joe Biden still won Latino voters overall,” Caputo reported. “But as post-election data trickles in, Democrats are growing concerned. Trump’s notable gains weren’t limited to Miami’s Cuban Americans or border-region Tejanos. Although Florida and Texas stood out for the notable shift, Puerto Ricans as far away as Philadelphia and Mexican Americans in Milwaukee drifted Trump-ward.”
As Domenech highlighted, the increasing calls to “defund the police” and pushes toward socialism from the Left could be at the heart of Trump’s advancement with Hispanics, particularly from Hispanic families that have recently fled socialism and communism.