The Center Square [By Cole Lauterbach] –
President Donald Trump made his fifth trip of the year to Arizona Monday, hosting a roundtable discussion with Latino supporters.
The state, which has become a must-win for Trump, is seeing a barrage of national attention.
Trump hit Biden on several fronts important to Latin Americans at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix Monday afternoon.
“Joe Biden spent 47 years selling out the Hispanic-American community, sending your jobs to China, raising your taxes, surging regulations,” Trump said. “Before the China virus came in, we achieved the lowest Hispanic American unemployment rate ever. Over 600,000 Hispanic Americans were lifted out of poverty in that short period of time.”
In attendance with the president were billionaire communications mogul Arte Moreno, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward, state Rep. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, and several other local Hispanic GOP members.
Ducey, a Trump ally, thanked the president for returning to the state and for his continuing support in the state’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Whether it was personal protective equipment, ventilators for our Navajo Nation, testing in places that we needed like south Phoenix and Merryvale, whenever we needed it, your administration and you personally delivered,” Ducey said.
Trump had been closing the approval rate gap in several polls in recent weeks, but OH Predictive Insights released polling Monday that showed Biden pulling away. Conducted earlier in September, a survey of likely voters shows Biden returning to his April high support of 52 percent while Trump’s support has fallen to 42 percent. That marks the first-term president’s lowest approval rating in the season.
More worrisome for Trump should be his falling support among seniors. The poll shows Trump’s support with Republicans 55 and older dropped 9 percent since March, to 69 percent. Arizona is widely seen as a “must-win” for Trump’s path to a second term.
The state has seen large political ad buys, more from Democratically aligned groups than Republicans.
A report from Medium Buying found that from mid-August to Sept. 11, political ads on behalf of Democrats accounted for more than $7 million. Republican spending accounted for less than $4 million.
Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to return to Arizona Friday, also hosting a roundtable discussion with Latin Americans and appearing at another event.
National Hispanic Heritage Month begins on Sept. 15 and extends through Oct. 15.
