President Donald Trump is losing support among Hispanic and Latino voters, according to polling.
Since at least the 1960s, Hispanic voters in the U.S. have generally supported Democratic candidates. For example, according to Pew Research Center, about 71 percent of Hispanic voters supported Barack Obama in 2012, and 66 percent backed Hillary Clinton in 2016. In 2020, 63 percent chose Joe Biden, according to AP VoteCast.
In 2024, however, Trump made significant gains. His support among Hispanic voters rose to 43 percent—an 8-point increase from 2020 and the highest level for a Republican presidential candidate since such data has been tracked. Meanwhile, 55 percent supported Kamala Harris, narrowing the Democratic advantage.
Yet recent polling suggests Trump’s momentum is fading. Newsweek’s analysis of major surveys since April shows his approval among Hispanic and Latino voters has dropped to 40 percent, with 56 percent disapproving—down from March averages of 43 percent approval and 54 percent disapproval. YouGov’s data mirrors this trend, showing Trump’s net approval plummeting from -12 in January to -32 in May.
While a few surveys show scattered signs of support, the overwhelming majority of polls conducted from late March to mid-May show Trump underperforming with Hispanic and Latino voters.
Echelon Insights, which polled from May 8 to May 12, found Trump’s approval at 32 percent and disapproval at 67 percent, marking a sharp drop from his earlier approval rating of 42 percent and disapproval of 56 percent.
The Marist/NPR/PBS poll from late April also recorded a similar downward trend, with Trump’s approval slipping from 44 percent to 32 percent.
Fox News polling from mid-April showed Trump’s approval dipping slightly from 44 percent to 41 percent, while McLaughlin found a more substantial drop, from 44 percent to 36 percent. Pew Research Center also reported a stark fall in Trump’s favorability, with approval plummeting from 35 percent to 27 percent, and disapproval rising from 62 percent to 72 percent.
But some other polls have shown Trump’s approval rating increasing among Hispanic voters. For instance, the Civiqs poll conducted from May 17 to May 20 shows a notably higher approval rating of 57 percent among Hispanics, an increase from 42 percent earlier in the year.
Likewise, Insider Advantage/Trafalgar’s mid-May poll reports a 59 percent approval rating, up from 39 percent in April. However, these results contrast with the broader majority of polling data, which has shown that Trump’s ratings remain below 40 percent, while disapproval consistently climbs above 50 or even 60 percent.
This decline isn’t a sudden collapse but a slow erosion of trust and confidence—particularly among a demographic Trump courted heavily in 2024. Experts point to dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy as a key driver of this shift.
It comes after Trump introduced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2. The policy move rattled markets, prompting a sharp sell-off before an eventual recovery.
It also saw Trump’s overall approval ratings take a hit. And his approval marks among Hispanic voters have not been exempt.
The latest YouGov/Economist poll shows that only 32 percent of Hispanic voters approve of Trump’s performance on the economy, which is down from 40 percent at the end of March, before he introduced the tariffs. And on the issue of inflation, only 28 percent of Hispanic voters said they approve of Trump’s performance, down from 39 percent.
Similarly, Fox News shows that Trump’s approval rating on the economy among Hispanic voters is down to 37 percent, from 43 percent in March. On inflation, Trump’s approval rating was down 10 percentage points, to 30. Meanwhile, 80 percent of Hispanics polled said they think it is extremely or very likely that the U.S. economy will plunge into recession this year.
Clarissa Martínez De Castro, vice president of the Latino Vote Initiative, told Newsweek that “Latino voters are frustrated that their economic priorities are being ignored and that a key promise made by President Trump during the election is not being kept.” As a result, “Sixty percent of Latino voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and 70 percent hold President Trump and his administration responsible,” she said, citing an April UnidosUS poll.
Janet Murguía, president and CEO of UnidosUS, emphasized that economic discontent played a significant role in Trump’s earlier gains but is now undermining his support. “Over half of Hispanic voters feel the economy is worse now than a year ago, and nearly as many believe it will be worse a year from now,” she said. “Economic discontent was the most potent driver of increased Latino support for Trump in 2024.”
Martínez De Castro added, “For many Latinos, inflation, wages, and housing affordability remain top concerns. Sixty percent believe the President and Republicans are not focusing enough on lowering prices, and over half think the economy has worsened and will continue to decline under Trump’s policies. The president owns the economy now, and Hispanic voters are not seeing the quick turnaround he promised.”
Immigration has further dented Trump’s standing among Hispanic voters. His aggressive policies, including expanded ICE enforcement and National Guard involvement, have targeted not just criminals but also long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records.
From his inauguration on January 20 through February, over 40 percent of deportees had no criminal history. Pew Research Center polling shows that only about one-third of Americans support mass deportations, with most preferring to prioritize violent criminals and showing far less support for deporting those with family ties or brought to the U.S. as children.
This sentiment is also shared by Hispanic voters, Martínez De Castro said. She warned: “Eight in ten Hispanic voters support deporting dangerous criminals, but President Trump and congressional Republicans should not target long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records. Latino voters want policies that are firm, fair, and free of cruelty, but that is not what they are witnessing in their communities.”
Frankie Miranda, president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation, echoed these concerns, saying Trump’s policies have “vilified our communities and disregarded people’s rights.” He highlighted the rise in hate crimes, family separations, and the targeting of law-abiding immigrants as consequences of the administration’s approach.
“Many immigrants who worked hard to secure legal protections, such as TPS and work permits, are having those protections stripped away,” he said.
Recent polls have shown a broader trend of voters becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Trump’s performance on the economy and immigration, which were previously his strongest. His “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2 rattled markets, prompting a sharp sell-off before an eventual recovery. But public sentiment did not rebound as quickly as the Dow. Polls throughout April showed sliding approval ratings.
The president has also seen kinks in the rollout of his aggressive immigration agenda, which has attracted legal scrutiny. One high-profile case involves Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported from Maryland in what the Department of Justice called an “administrative error.” The Trump administration labeled Garcia a member of MS-13, now designated a terrorist group, but his family and lawyers deny any connection.
Trump’s mass deportation plan seeks to remove millions of undocumented immigrants through expanded ICE enforcement and National Guard involvement, focusing not only on criminals but also on many without criminal records. Early in his presidency, ICE arrested over 32,000 people, nearly half with no criminal history, and by February, over 40 percent of deportees had no criminal record. Despite this aggressive approach, public support is limited.
An April Pew Research Center poll found only about one-third of Americans support deporting all undocumented immigrants, with most favoring deportation primarily for violent criminals and much less support for deporting those with family ties or who came to the U.S. as children.
And such sentiment also exists among Hispanic voters. Martínez De Castro highlighted that while economic concerns helped Trump gain Hispanic support in 2024, the optimism has quickly faded. “Sixty percent of Latino voters believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and 70 percent of them hold President Trump and his administration responsible,” she told Newsweek, citing an April UnidosUS poll.
“Latino voters are frustrated that their economic priorities are being ignored and that a key promise made by President Trump during the election is not being kept. Economic discontent was the most potent driver in the 2024 election, helping President Trump increase support among Latinos. But over half of Hispanic voters feel the economy is worse now than a year ago and nearly as many believe it will be worse a year from now,” Janet Murguía, president and CEO of UnidosUS, said at the time.
Martínez De Castro added that for many Latinos, economic issues like inflation, wages and housing affordability remain top priorities, yet “60 percent believe the President and Republicans are not focusing enough on lowering prices,” and over half think the economy has worsened and will continue to decline under Trump’s policies. Martínez De Castro noted bluntly, “The president owns the economy now, and Hispanic voters are not seeing the quick turnaround the President promised.”
Miranda also criticized the administration for “actively dismantling the asylum system for some of the most vulnerable and deserving applicants escaping violence and persecution from Latin America,” while simultaneously easing restrictions for others.
He warned that “Such action is only serving to alienate the Latino community from the Trump administration and driving people who want to care for loved ones into the shadows.”
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