Behind the MSNBC Column: Latino AMERICANS for Trump

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Last week, NBC News reported that Donald Trump’s official Latinos for Trump outreach group would be rebranding as Latino Americans for Trump. Beside Jennifer Media’s excellent New York Times story about the name change, the U.S. political media provided scant coverage. Unless of course you think this actual headline from the Washington Examiner accounts for culturally responsive journalism:

Enter a pitch to my fabulous opinion editors over at MSNBC. (I think they are getting tired of me shouting our their praises, but they really are the best editors who respect my voice and words.) I have been writing columns for the site since 2021 and I have to respect the platform for allowing me to dive into the complexities of Latinidad and the U.S. political system.

My latest column, which published early on Tuesday morning, was on the top of the site’s page. Although I don’t write any of the headlines, I actually love the headline that was published.

If there is one part of the column that I wanted to highlight, it’s this one:

To me, U.S. politics has and will continue to create clear contrasts (and some would say divisions) in Latino political outreach. I do think the Trump campaign understands the types of Latinos who support him and his message does have appeal, although it is limited for obvious reasons. You know what I mean.

I am also curious if this Latino Americans for Trump change is the pregame move that will make Senator Marco Rubio the Republican vice presidential candidate. (Yes, Rubio is a Latino American for Trump.) Ever since I started covering Rubio since his first term as Senator, his entire ethos aligns with what a Latino American for Trump is.

When I was covering the 2016 primary election for Latino USA, I recall the time after the GOP New Hampshire debate when I asked then-Rubio campaign communications director Alex Conant about his candidate becoming the country’s first Latino president.

The response was this: “He’s running as someone to unite all Republicans. Our focus is on winning the Republican primary, uniting Republicans, and then inspiring the nation and beating Hillary [Clinton].”

That quote didn’t surprise me then and it still doesn’t surprise me. I didn’t add it to my MSNBC column because the piece was not about Rubio’s 2024 VP chances, but it would have added to the argument I was already making.

I was also happy to have cited the excellent Latino Americans series from PBS and host Ray Suarez, a Latino journalist OG. Like I said in the piece, the term “Latino Americans” was already claimed.

That series, which premiered more than 10 years ago, spans 500 years of Latinos in this country. The companion book is a great read.

Finally, please let me know what you think of this type of post for The Latino Newsletter. I will also be sharing more details later this week about the site’s future plans. Feel free to share this on your social media (buttons are on top) and let your contacts now they can sign up here.