The Latinos Ask... Donald Trump Responds town hall, moderated by Mexican journalist Enrique Acevedo, was a question-and-answer session that was taped during the day to be aired nationally at 10 p.m. EDT. The event in the Miami suburb of Doral followed Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' similarly structured town hall with Latino voters in Las Vegas on October 10.
Trump's Miami appearance came on the heels of a Monday-night town hall in suburban Philadelphia that turned into a listening party wherein the former leader of the free world swayed and bopped on stage to his favorite songs for 39 minutes after the forum was interrupted by medical emergencies in the crowd.
The 78-year-old candidate stopped answering questions from supporters, opting instead to show off his unique dance stylings to a medley that included "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli, "YMCA" by the Village People, "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor, and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" as performed by Rufus Wainwright.
The Doral town hall was taped in advance, but New Times was on the scene inside the media center to provide readers with a preview of what was in store for them come prime time.
Behold, a chronological rundown of the highs, lows, and in-betweens.
This Is Miami, Where Nothing Starts On Time
Perhaps predictably, the event has not started at the advertised time. We were supposed to get underway at 12:30, but it's nearly 1 and...nada from the studio.Fortunately, Univision is keeping us reporters well-fed. We can munch on croissants, fruit, egg and potato wraps, and bagels. There's loads of Perrier, bottled water, Diet Coke, tea, and coffee. Those last two bring some welcome warmth — it's absolutely freezing in here. Oh, and in addition to the usual dairy products for hot beverages, there are alternative milks!
And, whoa! They just brought in boxed lunches from Le Croissant. (Fellow journalists report that the turkey croissant sandwich hits.)
Red Tie, Orange Face
And we're off!We finally got going a little after 1:05, when a countdown appeared on the screen in the media room, followed by a brief introduction in Spanish. Trump took the stage wearing a red tie, which only highlighted his orange patina. When he said, "I hope these will be extremely easy questions," he got his first laugh from the media room.
The first question came from a Houston-based waitress who wanted to know how Trump would improve the economy. The former president Trump assured that inflation will "improve" because "we had the greatest economy" under his watch.
Before speaker number three took the mic, Trump complimented the man's coif: "Great hair you have," he said, meriting his second laugh in the media center.
📌 A Latino farmer asks Donald Trump who will do the hard jobs if he deports undocumented immigrants.
— Univision Noticias (@UniNoticias) October 16, 2024
This is what Trump said at the Univision town hall #LosLatinosPreguntan.
Watch today at 10 PM ET/9C/7PAC on @univision, @ViX, and our digital platforms. pic.twitter.com/WCoP1qFZC5
Murderers and Terrorists and...Elon to the Rescue?
We just returned from a short break. Before that, when asked about the border crisis, Trump said U.S. neighbors are emptying their jails and mental hospitals and thousands of murderers and terrorists are crossing our border. People can move to this country, he said, but they must do so legally.He called Biden and Harris the worst president and vice president in history.
In response to a question about the national debt, he referred to coronavirus as "the China virus."
Elon Musk, on the other hand, is "a genius" and "a great business person who will help the country's economy and bring costs down."
About Those Pet Eaters...
A speaker from Chicago asked about Trump's border plan. Candidate Trump responded that Chicago is "a very dangerous city" because its mayor and the governor of Illinois are both Democrats.All Democrat-run cities are crime-infested, Trump said, reiterating that the U.S. needs strong borders. (Oh, and he beat ISIS in two months.)
Then it was on to the pet-eating claims in Springfield, Ohio: A questioner wants to know if Trump truly believes Haitian migrants were eating cats and dogs.
Trump responded that he was "merely reporting the news," then went on to imply that Haitian immigrants are destroying the town and "our country."
"It is a disaster," he said. "The people that live there — they want to leave, move.... We cannot let that happen to our towns and cities."
📌 A Latino Republican asks Donald Trump if he really believes that Haitian immigrants are eating pets.
— Univision Noticias (@UniNoticias) October 16, 2024
This is what Trump said at the Univision town hall #LosLatinosPreguntan.
Watch today at 10 PM ET/9C/7PAC on @univision, @ViX, and our digital platforms.#Destino2024 pic.twitter.com/EYGvQ9txs4
The Ol' Climate Change Bob-and-Weave
Time sure does fly. A little less than an hour in, just prior to a second commercial break, Trump fielded this question from a South Florida construction worker: Do you believe climate change is a hoax?"
Trump said his administration had the cleanest air and water on record — "crystal clear." He described himself as an environmentalist, pointing out that he built Trump Doral "right next door" and said he has received "many awards" for his environmentally safe construction.
But the U.S. won't have any jobs if we go through with "their Green New Deal." The biggest threat to global warming, per Trump, is nuclear power.
Moving right along, if Harris wins the presidency, Trump said, World War III will ensue because his opponent is "grossly incompetent."
Before that, Trump had deflected a question from a man who identified himself as a one-time Republican who wanted to give the former president an opportunity to win back his vote.
Why, the man asked, should he support the former commander-in-chief when members of his administration are not?
Trump: People say bad things because I fired them.
A son of immigrants asked Trump to explain his gun policy to parents of school shooting victims.
Offered Trump: "If you are in a rough area, the bad guy has a gun, and you don't have a gun, you are finished."
What's a Town Hall Without a Few Softballs?
It's not far past two and it looks like things'll wrap up pretty soon. Your humble scribe is already eyeing the multitude of snacks that remain on the buffet and plotting our exit.But back to business: An Arizona-based data analyst and youth pastor wanted to know, "In the four years in the White House, can you name one error or something you learned?"
Trump responded by asserting that his "great administration" defeated ISIS, had a great economy, and didn't get into any wars. He said his biggest mistakes were not policy-related but that he hired people he would never use again.
"In terms of knowledge and learning, it was people," said he.
(Then an aside: Trump mused that the organizers had given him a choice of sitting or standing for the town hall. He chose the latter, he said, gesturing to a nearby barstool, which he described as the most uncomfortable-looking chair. That brought on another round of cackles from the peanut gallery in the media center.)
The last question of the session was a version of the same one Harris was asked at the close of last week's event in Las Vegas: "What are the three virtues you see in Vice President Harris?"
"That's a very hard question," Trump hedged. "This is the toughest question. The other ones are easy."
"I'm not a fan," he added, then offered that it seems she has lasting relationships and is "a survivor."
That was, he reiterated, "by far the hardest question" posed to him today.
(For comparison, when asked to cite three Trump virtues, Harris poked a few jabs at her opponent's "us vs. them" mentality before allowing, "I think Donald Trump loves his family, and I think that's very important. But I don't really know him. I only met him one time, so I don't really have much more to offer you.")
Time to hit the road, fortified with several bags of nuts, and a couple of Perriers!
