Latinos shifting to Trump because they have ‘internalized racism,’ journalist claims

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Journalist and MSNBC contributor Paola Ramos, daughter of Jorge Ramos, blamed “internalized racism” for why Latinos are leaving the Democratic Partyand supporting former President Trump. 

Ramos appeared on PBS’ “Amanpour & Company” this week to address the trend covered in her new book, “Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means.”

Trump appears to be outperforming his 2020 support among Latinos who prefer the Republican over Vice President Kamala Harris on handling the economy and immigration. 

The Democratic Party’s advantage with these voters is shrinking, according to NBC News, whose poll last week found the Democrats’ edge is at its lowest level in the past four presidential election cycles.

MSNBC GUEST CLAIMS LATINOS ‘WANT TO BE WHITE’ WHILE DISCUSSING THEIR SHIFT TOWARD GOP

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 23: Supporters of former President Donald Trump watch as he holds a rally in the historical Democratic district of the South Bronx on May 23, 2024 in New York City.  (Getty Images)

In discussions with Trump-supporting Latinos for her book, Ramos said she found that “tribalism, traditionalism, and political trauma” were the three driving forces behind this growing trend.

“Really understanding the sort of racial baggage that I believe a lot of Latinos, including myself, and a lot of us are carrying from Latin America. What it means to sort of been colonized for so many years, the weight of colonization, that, in of itself, I believe, creates a lot of internalized racism, a lot of colorism, that then manifests in American politics in so many ways,” Ramos began.

“And that’s then how you can explain the fact that even someone like Donald Trump feels so comfortable going to the Bronx, talking to a group of Black Latinos, and Latino Trump supporters, because he believes that he can sort of tap into a racial and ethnic grievance that is very familiar,” she continued.

Ramos told USA Today that traditionalism and trauma also play into the trend.

“There’s traditionalism which is just breaking down what centuries of colonization have done to us and has led us to be so fixated on certain gender norms and sexual norms and then also leads us to this slippery slope of admiring things like Christian nationalism and then the trauma of this sort of admiration and a lot of Latinos flirting with the strongman rule and where that comes from,” she said.

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NORTH LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 07: Supporters of President Donald Trump protest outside the Clark County Election Department on November 7, 2020 in North Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Getty Images)

Last week, MSNBC guest Maria Hinojosa claimed Latinos “want to be White” while discussing the political shift toward Trump among Hispanics.

“And what I said to you when we asked a question was, Latinos want to be White. They want to be with the cool kids,” she said.

Hinojosa went on to say that those voters could cost Harris the election. 

“But those numbers? They could cost Kamala Harris the election. Everything that I’ve been saying that Latinos could push her over the top, these are the numbers that could also take her down,” she said. 

Vice President Kamala Harris currently has a 12-point lead among registered Hispanic voters, according to the latest Fox News poll.

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Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.