In 2024, President Trump made historic inroads with the Latino community. But as the Trump administration reaches the 100-day mark, polling finds dissatisfaction among registered Latino voters who disapprove of Mr. Trump’s handling of the economy, according to a bipartisan poll testing where Hispanic voters stand on key issues.
Among Latino voters, 60% believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. Only 19% indicated they feel the U.S. economy is “better” compared to 2024, and looking ahead to next year, 29% of Latino voters believe the economic policies currently being implemented will make them better.
The state of the economy ranks as Latino voters’ number one priority, with the cost of living, jobs, housing costs and healthcare among the top concerns. Of those polled, 60% believe Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans are not focusing enough attention on bringing down costs of everyday goods, and 66% believe tariffs — a core part of Mr. Trump’s agenda — will reduce their economic opportunity and security by raising the prices for goods and services.
Three of the country’s largest Latino organizations — UnidosUS, Voces Unidos and LULAC — along with advocacy group Climate Power, released the findings, which polled 1,002 Hispanic registered voters. The survey involved pollsters Matt A. Barreto, who conducted polling for Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, and Daron R. Shaw, a University of Texas pollster who worked on George W. Bush campaigns and is now behind Fox News’ polls.
“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,” said UnidosUS President Janet Murguía. “Economic discontent was the most potent driver in the 2024 election, helping President Trump increase support among Latinos.”
Mr. Trump made significant gains among Latino voters last year. Just 53% of Latino voters backed Harris, compared to the 65% won by former President Joe Biden in 2020, according to exit polling data. Some 54% of Latino men voted for Mr. Trump, with the economy ranking as their top issue.
Aside from the economy, according to Murguía, deportations are contributing to the overall negative sentiment. The majority of Latinos polled support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for a long time or who were brought into the country as children. Some 78% said they believe it’s important to deport dangerous criminals but Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans should not target long-residing undocumented immigrants without criminal records.
Of those polled, 43% said they fear immigration authorities will arrest them even if they’re U.S. citizens or have legal status.
According to the latest CBS News poll released Sunday, Mr. Trump continues to get majority approval for his deportation program among all Americans, but 56% of Hispanic voters disapprove. Some 81% of respondents say it is not acceptable if legal U.S. residents are mistakenly deported, including 84% of Hispanic respondents.
While there is dissatisfaction with the current administration and Republicans in Congress, Barreto and Shaw indicate there is room for both parties to work on improving trust among the Latino community. When asked to describe the party’s attitude toward Latinos, 35% said Democrats “don’t care too much” and 37% said the same for Republicans, according to Barreto and Shaw’s poll.
“We identified this particular finding as a message for both political parties to be able to position themselves so that they actually look like they care about the Hisapnic community,” said Barreto.
As for policies floated during Mr. Trump’s first 100 days, Latinos showed support for requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and renewing 2017 tax cuts that lower federal income tax rates for those making less than $200,000 a year.
Latino voters largely opposed allowing federal enforcement of immigration laws in public schools, and granting Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to tax identification numbers used by undocumented immigrants to pay taxes for the purposes of mass deportations.
“Our poll confirms that with the polarized electorate and slim margins in Congress, neither party can afford to ignore or take for granted the Latino vote,” said Murguía. “Doing the work to understand and meaningfully engage this increasing and critically important electorate must be a priority.”
Looking ahead to 2026’s midterm elections, Republicans are in trouble if the economy does not show major improvement and Latinos continue to live in fear over deportations, according to the pollsters behind the findings. The warning signs for the Democratic party, however, also lie in the 60% of Latino voters who said they believe Democrats should fight hard against the Trump administration and his policies.
