Donald Trump made a hastily put together trip down to Mexico Wednesday to meet with President Enridue Pena Nieto, on the Mexican president’s invitation. The two discussed the current state of US-Mexico relations, and it seems to have gone well. But following their evening news report of Trump’s visit, CBS took the time to highlight Latino-Americans mobilizing against Trump. “Immigration activists loaded into a van and headed to a local registration office where they helped Latino residents register to vote,” reported Mireya Villarreal, “For them, this election is personal.”
In her report, Villarreal interviewed one of the immigration activists, “Organizer, Polo Morales, whose mother was deported back in the 70s and later became a U.S. Citizen, believes Donald Trump's trip to Mexico will work against him.” Villarreal then teed Morales up to take a swing at Trump, “Do you feel like this meeting is a way to try to manipulate Latino voters?”
Villarreal flaunted Trump’s uphill climb with Latino voters:
27 million Latinos are eligible to vote in the U.S. In the 2012 presidential election, 11 million Latinos voted. At least 13 million are expected to vote this year. A new poll shows Hillary Clinton with a 55 percent favorable rating among Latinos, versus Trump with 18 percent.
The CBS reporter even sought out former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin to swipe at the GOP nominee. “If he thinks all of a sudden because he's going there now, millions of Mexicans are going to love him and millions here in the United States are going to love him, he is wrong. He's dead wrong,” Marin said in her interview at an airport. It was noted that Marin was a “longtime Republican activist.”
Wrapping up her report, Villarreal seemed to praise the work the immigration activists were doing, stating, “This particular group is hoping to register 10,000 new voters for this particular presidential election, and they are more than a quarter of the way there.”
Transcript below:
CBS
Evening News
August 31, 2016
6:33:37 PM easternNORAH O’DONNELL: Trump's visit to Mexico was aimed at part at winning the support of Latino voters. Mireya Villarreal got reaction in Los Angeles.
[Cuts to video]
MIREYA VILLARREAL: This afternoon in L.A. County, immigration activists loaded into a van and headed to a local registration office where they helped Latino residents register to vote. For them, this election is personal.
OLO MORALES: This issue is so important to the immigrant community.
VILLARREAL: Organizer, Polo Morales, whose mother was deported back in the 70s and later became a U.S. Citizen, believes Donald Trump's trip to Mexico will work against him. Do you feel like this meeting is a way to try to manipulate Latino voters?
MORALES: The way that we see it, it's becoming a political circus. I think he's made it very clear on where he stands and he's not going to change that.
VILLARREAL: 27 million Latinos are eligible to vote in the U.S. In the 2012 presidential election, 11 million Latinos voted. At least 13 million are expected to vote this year. A new poll shows Hillary Clinton with a 55 percent favorable rating among Latinos, versus Trump with 18 percent. Despite a much calmer Trump talking about his meeting with President Pena Nieto, former U.S. Treasurer and longtime Republican activist Rosario Marin doubts his intentions.
ROSARIO MARIN: If he thinks all of a sudden because he's going there now, millions of Mexicans are going to love him and millions here in the United States are going to love him, he is wrong. He's dead wrong.
VILLARREAL: But there is some Latino support for Trump, including these people at a recent rally in Anaheim. Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez:
LESLIE SANCHEZ: There are a lot of Latinos who are closet Trump supporters. They are independent conservatives. They are concerned about border security, and they feel that Donald Trump, being an outsider, can get something done.
[Cuts back to live]
VILLARREAL: As a whole, new voters are younger and more diverse. This particular group is hoping to register 10,000 new voters for this particular presidential election, and they are more than a quarter of the way there. Norah, for those people wanting to vote in this upcoming presidential election, they have until the end of September to register.
