Trump to Hispanics: You will have ‘a much better life’
GOP candidate in balancing act between his party, Democrats
TAMPA, Florida — Visiting a battleground state he can’t afford to lose, Donald Trump promised Hispanics “a much better life” on Wednesday in a Florida speech that continued his recent effort to soften his tone and broaden his support 11 weeks before the presidential election.
The Republican presidential candidate also repeated his promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to keep out immigrants, underscoring the tricky balancing act he faces in retaining backing from conservatives while beckoning to moderates for their votes.
“I am going to fight to give every Hispanic citizen a much better future, a much better life,” Trump told a rally in Tampa as polls show him trailing in the critical state. “You have the right to walk outside without being shot. You have a right to a good education for your child. You have the right to own your home. You have the right to have a good job.”
Trump dominated campaign coverage for the day as his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, was fundraising in California.
Her drive for the White House got a rhetorical boost when her defeated competitor for her party’s nomination, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, told The Associated Press that he’ll campaign for Clinton this fall. Sanders, who turns 75 on Sept. 8, also said he’s leaning toward seeking reelection as an independent senator in 2018.
Trump’s appeal to Hispanics echoed his recent outreach to African-Americans. He rarely tried to explicitly lure minority voters during his unlikely rise to the GOP nomination.
Now facing a bigger electorate, Trump suggested that Hispanics have been taken for granted by Democrats. He said the 600,000 Latino-owned businesses in Florida would benefit under his economic plan, but he offered few specifics.
“Hispanics are tired of being used by these phony politicians,” Trump roared above the rumbles of a thunderstorm audible inside. “I say, what do you have to lose? I will fix it.”
Hispanics make up a sizeable and growing percentage of Florida’s population. Trump will have a narrow path to the White House without winning the Sunshine State, where he owns several resorts and which he dubbed “his second home” on Wednesday.
Trump made no mention at the rally, largely attended by white supporters, of his remarks Tuesday that he would consider “softening” laws dealing with immigrants in the country illegally. That is a far cry from the early days of the GOP primaries, when Trump vowed to use a “deportation force” to round up and deport the millions of people living in the country illegally.