As Donald Trump seeks to court minority voters, a new AP analysis shows that Black and Latino Americans do not view the former president in a positive light.
About 7 in 10 Black Americans have a “somewhat or very unfavorable view” of Trump, according to the Associated Press analysis of two polls conducted in June by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About half of Latino Americans feel the same way.
One poll of 1,115 adults was conducted June 7-10, and the other poll of 1,088 adults was conducted June 20-24.
The AP noted that while both groups see Trump “a little more favorably” now than when his tenure ended in 2021, “their opinion of him is still more negative than positive.”
Trump launched “Black Americans for Trump” in June at a church in Detroit, where he said he would crack down on crime and improve the country’s economic outlook, according to the Detroit Free Press. Among those there were Detroit rapper Dada Baby and Republican Congressman John James.
The AP reported that Black men and women have similar views of him, even as the Trump campaign has said Black men may be more open to his message.
However, the AP found that, about one-third of Black younger adults, who are under 45 years old, see him positively, compared to around 1 in 10 Black adults who are 45 or older. Most younger Black adults view him unfavorably, the AP found.
Last month, Trump’s campaign rebranded its outreach to Latinos by launching “Latino Americans for Trump” in Las Vegas. Previously, it was “Latinos for Trump.”
In explaining the name change, Jaime Florez – the Hispanic communications director for the Republican National Committee and for the Trump campaign – told reporters that, “It’s very important that we all understand that no matter where we’re coming from, we’re already American.”
About 4 in 10 Latino adults in the recent polls saw Trump positively, up from about 3 in 10 in January 2021, according to the AP.
Trump’s campaign advisers have stated that his business focus has specifically appealed to Latino men and younger Latino adults, but the AP noted that the poll analysis does not show that.
“Current views of Trump are similar among Hispanic men and women, older and younger Hispanic adults, and those with and without a college degree,” according to the AP.
