Trump's Latino support collapses

An NBC News/Telemundo poll shows Latino voters who helped elect Trump in 2024 are now turning against him, giving Democrats a major opportunity in the 2026 midterms.

Trump's approval among Latinos at 27%

Trump's approval rating sits at 27% among Latino voters. Two-thirds say his administration's deportation policies have gone too far and three-quarters disapprove of his economic handling.

Democrats lead on economy by 21 points

Two years ago, Latino voters gave Trump a four-point edge on handling the economy. Today, they give Democrats a twenty-one-point advantage on the same question.

Democrats lead on Congress by 24 points

Democrats have a twenty-four-point lead on whom Latino voters want in control of Congress, fifty-nine percent to thirty-five percent. That is double their lead at this point in twenty twenty-four.

Trump voters defecting on Congress

Nearly a fifth of Latino voters who backed Trump in 2024 say they do not prefer a Republican-controlled Congress, with 14% supporting Democrats and 8% unsure.

Red districts now competitive

In Florida and Texas, Republicans drew heavily Latino districts that looked deep red by 2024 results. Many are now shaping up to be competitive in the midterms as Latino preferences have changed.

Pollsters call reversal stunning

Democratic pollster Aileen Cardona-Arroyo said the results indicate a striking reversal of Republican gains with Latino voters and point to trouble ahead for Republican candidates in the midterms.

Republican pollster: 2024 was outlier

Republican pollster Micah Roberts called Latino voters the swingiest of swing groups and the reversal since 2024 stunning. He said Trump is a central figure with real consequences on politics.

“What we can really say from this data is that 2024 was the outlier.”

Democrats' image has not improved

While Latino voters' negative views of Republicans jumped 16 points since 2024, views of Democrats rose only 4 points. Sixty-two percent now view Republicans negatively, 42% view Democrats negatively.

Trump's worst issue: cost of living

Latino voters overwhelmingly disapprove of Trump's handling of the cost of living at 78%, the economy at 74%, foreign policy at 68%, and immigration at 69%. Border security is his best issue at 39% approval.

Cost of living tops voter concerns

Inflation and the cost of living ranked as the most important issue to 33% of Latino voters, with a majority ranking it as the most or second-most important issue.

Families falling behind on income

A sizable majority of Latinos, 63%, say their family's income is falling behind the cost of living, while 25% say it is staying even and 11% say it is going up faster.

Trump voter regrets her choice

Luisa Santiago, a fifty-nine-year-old Florida retiree who voted for Trump in 2024 after a lifetime voting Democrat, told NBC News she now calls him a disappointment and feels embarrassed for convincing friends to vote for him.

“It was a big deal when we voted for Republicans, and then we feel like it was a complete mistake.”

Deportation policies seen as brutal

Two-thirds of Latino voters say Trump's immigration enforcement measures have gone too far, 22% say he struck the right approach, and 9% say he has not gone far enough.

Support for deporting serious criminals only

While 83% of Latino voters support deporting undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes, just 37% support deporting every undocumented immigrant in the U.S.

ICE enforcement affecting daily life

Thirty-one percent of Latino voters say they or someone close to them started carrying identification over ICE enforcement concerns. Twenty-seven percent know someone deported or detained by ICE in the last two years.

Young voter: friends deported despite paperwork

Maria, a Florida voter in her twenties who voted for Trump in 2024, told NBC News he has fallen short. She said many friends and family members were deported despite having paperwork, and one friend's grandfather was deported to Mexico instead of Cuba.

“I've had many friends, family members deported.”

Voter motivation surges to 72%

A sizable majority of Latino voters, 72%, rank themselves a ten out of ten in terms of interest in November's elections, compared with 54% at this time in 2024.

Majority voting to oppose Trump

A majority of Latino voters, 54%, say their midterm vote is meant to send a signal of opposition to Trump, while 21% want to signal support for Trump and 23% say their vote is not about the president.

Democrats face 2028 challenge

Democratic pollster Cardona-Arroyo noted that Democratic gains in 2026 will be driven largely by opposition to Trump rather than support for Democrats, raising questions about whether that strategy will work in 2028.

“What do Democrats do to move beyond this place where they're running on opposition to the Republican Party, which I think will work in '26?”