Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs President Donald Trump’s approval ratings among Hispanics have hit their highest point since he took office in January, according to results of a new opinion poll.Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House via email on Wednesday evening.Why It MattersDespite frequently facing criticism for hard-line immigration policies that target migrants from countries in Latin America, Trump has recently made significant gains in favorability and approval among Hispanic Americans.While the bulk of the Hispanic voters, who traditionally lean Democratic, voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s election, Trump increased his share of the Hispanic vote from 16 percent in 2016 to 42 percent in 2024, according to The Conversation.
President Donald Trump is pictured during a “Latino Americans for Trump” campaign event in Miami on October 22, 2024.
President Donald Trump is pictured during a “Latino Americans for Trump” campaign event in Miami on October 22, 2024.
CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images
What To KnowA poll released by The Economist/YouGov on Wednesday shows that 45 percent of Hispanic Americans approve “of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President,” while a slim 52 percent majority disapprove.The survey shows Trump with an overall approval rating of 48 percent and a disapproval rating of 46 percent. The poll was conducted via online interviews among a total of 1,638 U.S. adults from March 1 to March 4. It has a 3.7 percent margin of error.Trump’s approval rating with Hispanic voters was his highest since beginning his second term. Previous editions of the Economist/YouGov poll have shown Trump with a 40 percent approval rating among Hispanics over the past three weeks, while the first poll since his return to the White House, taken in late January, showed him with 42 percent approval.The president fared slightly worse in the polls in terms of favorability, with 43 percent of Hispanics saying in the latest edition that they had a “favorable opinion” of Trump regardless of whether they approved of his job performance.What People Are SayingSamuel Negron, Republican Pennsylvania state constable, explaining Hispanic voters backing Trump in 2024 to the BBC: “It’s simple, really. We liked the way things were four years ago.”Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales of Texas, in a post last month to X, formerly Twitter: “Hispanic voices helped build the Republican trifecta. We won’t back down in our fight to preserve the American dream.”Janet Murguía, president of Latino advocacy group UnidosUS, in a statement issued on Trump’s 2025 Inauguration Day: “The President should keep in mind that voters want to hear first and foremost about the economy and that his Administration will be held accountable by what he does or doesn’t do to help Americans cope with rising prices and other daily economic challenges.”What Happens NextTrump’s approval ratings are all but certain to fluctuate with Hispanic Americans and others in the future. Republicans will likely continue with their efforts to court Hispanic voters, while Democrats attempt to prevent the demographic from slipping away further.
