In the Univision town hall forum a few weeks ago, Donald Trump was asked by a Latino Republican about his support for the January 6, 2021 protest-turned-insurrection. In his response, Trump said it was a day of love, and that there were many patriotic Americans involved. The reality is that thousands of Trump supporters criminally trespassed and vandalized the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election. A U.S. capitol police officer was killed by the violent mob.
As pollsters, we have asked Latino voters how these events weigh on their 2024 evaluations; for a huge swath of the electorate, Trump’s support for the January 6 insurrection is a deal breaker. In a poll we fielded in September 2024, we asked Latinos:
When deciding who to vote for in an election, which of the following would be a “deal breaker” for you, meaning you could NOT support the candidate if you knew this fact about them: “participated in or supported the January 6th riot at the United States Capitol.”
Overall, 49% of Latino voters said this was a deal-breaker and they could not support a candidate associated with January 6th. Among Latino Independents 46% said they could never support a January 6th associated candidate. Among Latinos who lean Republican, 34% said no way to a candidate who supported January 6th, and even among strong Republicans, 18% said they drew the line in support for January 6th. Among undecided Latino voters 50% said they could never support a candidate who supported January 6th.
More recently, the Entravision weekly tracking poll included a question to gauge reactions to the Univision townhall and the January 6 topic.
“During a town hall forum with Univision News, when Donald Trump was asked about the January 6th insurrection in which protesters stormed the capital and attempted to stop the certification of the vote and a Capitol police officer was killed. Trump said that there were many good patriotic Americans involved and that it was a day of love. Does this comment from Trump make you more or less likely to want to vote for him for president this year in 2024?”
It is no wonder that the gentleman who asked the question at the townhall, Ramiro Gonzalez, describing himself as a lifelong Republican, now says he can no longer support Trump. He is not alone. Overall 57% of Latino voters said the Trump “day of love” comment now made them less likely to support Trump, including 52% of Latino independents and 22% of Latino Republicans.
On October 29, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally at the same spot where the Trump-inspired January 6th insurrection began. With an estimated 75,000 in attendance, Harris pledged a “different path” if she were to be elected and to fully embrace our Constitution and American democracy.