They are trying to capture the latino vote.
At a recent town hall-style event in Phoenix, Donald Trump’s embrace and subsequent awkward kiss with former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio became a focal point. Trump’s comment afterward, stating, “I don’t kiss men, but I kissed him,” added to the attention surrounding the incident.
The Biden campaign seized upon this moment, turning it into a digital campaign ad to remind voters of Arpaio’s controversial history of racial profiling and misconduct, particularly impacting the Latino community in Arizona. The ad juxtaposes the Trump-Arpaio embrace with news clips highlighting Arpaio’s statements and actions, including immigration sweeps and his conviction for criminal contempt of court. Trump’s eventual pardon of Arpaio is also referenced in the ad.
The ad, launched between Trump’s events in Arizona and Nevada, targets Latino voters in key swing states and emphasizes Trump’s close association with Arpaio, whom the Biden campaign characterizes as emblematic of racially discriminatory immigration policies.
Arpaio’s tenure as sheriff was marked by tactics widely criticized as racially biased, such as housing immigrants in tent cities and implementing policies like SB1070, which allowed police to inquire about individuals’ citizenship status. These actions galvanized Latino voters, contributing to shifts in electoral dynamics, including Arizona’s historic support for a Democrat in the 2020 presidential election.
The Biden campaign’s response underscores Trump’s track record of employing anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies, contrasting with Latino voters’ growing political influence. Trump’s focus on immigration issues, particularly during rallies in Arizona and Nevada, reflects his strategy of appealing to his base by stoking fears about border security and illegal immigration.
While Trump has championed stricter immigration measures, including increased deportations, his rhetoric has faced criticism for its inflammatory nature and disregard for immigrant communities’ contributions. The Biden campaign’s statement emphasizes the resilience and political power of the Latino community in the face of such rhetoric.
Trump’s rhetoric on immigration has often been divisive, with statements characterizing immigrants as a threat to national security and advocating for drastic measures to address undocumented immigration. His comments linking immigrants to crime and proposing mass deportations have drawn condemnation from critics, who argue that such rhetoric demonizes immigrant communities and ignores the complexities of immigration policy.
