This week, the Republican Party’s Latinx outreach group, Latinos for Trump, officially changed its name to Latino Americans for Trump. It’s a subtle change, but one that solidifies the GOP’s stance to elevate — and embrace — the “good” Latinos, said Julio Ricardo Varela, MSNBC columnist and founder of The Latino Newsletter on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley.
“My conclusion is it was a really smart move by the Trump campaign to do that,” Varela said. “No matter what you say about Democrats or the Republican Party, they both know that they have to bring Latino voters into the tent.”
Courting Latino voters is a major factor in this year’s presidential race, and immigration and border issues are at the forefront of voter’s minds. Boston Globe columnist and editor Marcela Garcia says Democrats should be leaning into the immigration issue rather than being reactive.
“I think that Democrats — and [President Joe] Biden in particular — would be better off just going big on immigration and just touting the things that Biden has done, which by the way, have not been small,” Garcia said.
In international news, Mexico’s newly elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum, broke the glass ceiling, becoming the first woman to lead the nation. Even though she received 60% of the vote, Garcia says reactions to her election are mixed.
“Yes, it is a victory that deserves to be uplifted and elevated, but at the same time, we need to question Sheinbaum’s credentials,” Garcia said.
And in arts and culture news: Recently, there has been a significant upswing of hate toward superstar Jennifer Lopez. What’s the deal? Both Garcia and Varela point to Globe columnist Renee Graham’s piece examining the pile-on and discuss if the hate is justified.
Finally, we give a nod to the Mexican icon, Francesca Viveros, better known by her stage name, Paquita La Del Barrio — the subject of a new telenovela streaming on Netflix.
We break down those stories on this week’s Latinx news roundtable.
GUESTS
Julio Ricardo Varela, MSNBC columnist and founder of The Latino Newsletter
Marcela García, opinion columnist and associate editor at the Boston Globe