I’m Latino, I’m a veteran, and I’m not a racist. Here are the reasons why I voted for Trump

One of the most derogatory narratives to emerge from this year’s presidential election is that Latinos who voted for the President Donald Trump is a racist.

As a Mexican American who served our country in the Armed Forces and as someone who proudly voted for President-elect Donald Trump, I condemn this narrative with every fiber of my being.

I voted for President-elect Donald Trump because the last few years under the current administration have been a disaster on so many levels.

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I’m not alone. Around 46% of Latinos nationwideAccording to some polls, votes were cast for the Republican presidential nomination. Moreover, newly elected President Donald Trump surpassed Vice President Harris among Latino men by: about 10 percentage points.

Although some want to pin this sexismracism and even misinformationThe answer is simple. To paraphrase Democratic strategist James Carville, “The economy is stupid.”

Latinos were making gains, then Covid-19 and high inflation intervened

Even though inflation has begun to decline, many Latinos are struggling to make ends meet. I know this from Latinos who minister to me and from numerous public polls that show Latinos are most concerned. jobs and economy We are heading towards Election Day.

What some in the political class in Nashville and Washington seem to miss is that inflation and the high cost of living are particularly affecting middle-class and lower-class Latinos. This is because Latinos, on average, less disposable income and more thrifty than most Americans.

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Latinos also know that things were different a few years ago.

national Latino in 2019 unemployment rate It was at its lowest level in history.

hosting And entrepreneurship Rates were rising rapidly among Latinos. The economy was growing and many Latinos felt like they were starting to get ahead and live the American Dream.

And then COVID hit and the bottom collapsed.

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The Biden administration was brought into power, and many Latinos were willing to give Democrats a chance to fix the economy.

Instead of reducing the tax and regulatory burden on job creators, the new administration is convinced that we should increase the size of government and spend freely and indiscriminately.

Inflation soared and stagnant wages could not keep pace.

Democrats and some in the media told us: reject the evidence of our eyes and ears because the national inflation rate was falling and the economy was doing great!

Latinos weren’t buying it.

Spanish voters support rule of law as well as immigration

Instead of addressing what the Harris administration would do differently, her campaign Latin vowels He’s on stage accusing Republicans of being racist.

In addition to undermining the economy, the Biden/Harris administration has neglected its duties to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and enforce our nation’s immigration laws. In its desire to not be Trump, the Biden administration has suspended dozens of immigration rules limiting illegal immigration to the United States.

What followed was one of the largest increases in illegal immigration in our nation’s history.

Although Latinos support immigration and immigrants, they equally support the rule of law and desire an orderly process.

Things had gotten so bad that by the summer polls showed it wasn’t just Latinos anymore. trusting democrats on immigration, but some were even calling for urgent immigration deportation from some illegal immigrants

This may help explain why six counties along the U.S.-Mexico border voted Republican, including Starr County, which did not vote GOP. Since 1896!

The political class has failed to appreciate our love of freedom and opportunity

President-elect Trump promised to turn over a new page over the last few years, and Latinos were ready for change. When asked, I was happy to attend a recent Latino summit in South Florida and provide advice to his campaign.

Supporting his candidacy does not make us racist.

We are hardworking Americans proud of our Latino heritage who want to provide for our families and contribute positively to our local communities.

And most importantly, we love the USA and value freedom and opportunity.

The sooner the political class realizes this, the better they will be able to win over Latinos in future elections.

The Rev. Tommy Vallejos served in the U.S. Army and is a former Montgomery County commissioner and executive director. Latinos for Tennessee.

This article first appeared in the Nashville Tennessean: There’s a reason Trump won the majority of Latino male votes | Idea