Baffled that Miami’s exile community supports Trump? He showed why at Doral rally | Opinion

South Florida Cuban, Venezuelan and Nicaraguan exiles were out in full force at Donald Trump’s rally at the his Doral golf resort on Tuesday. They happily paraded onto Trump National Doral Miami — in 90-degree weather — wearing MAGA hats, waving Trump banners and showing their enthusiasm.

Trump even gave them a shout-out. “How many Venezuelans are here tonight?” he asked the crowd. “How many Cubans?”

Miami’s community of exiles from communism and socialism are often grilled and ridiculed about their strong support for Trump.

They are often asked: “If you fled your country because of Fidel Castro or Nicolas Maduro or Daniel Ortega, why would you come to America and support the presidency of a man who is a threat to our democracy?”

It’s a valid question. The answer: Because Trump sees them. He understands them. He does not ridicule their fear of America being overtaken by forces that want to destroy it.

These very same exiles, loyal Republican voters, have helped turn Miami-Dade, a one-time Democratic bastion, into the scene of a possible Trump win if he is the Republican nominee, Jaime Florez, the Republican National Committee’s presidential Hispanic communications director told the Miami Herald.

“Look around,” Florez said at the Doral rally. “You have Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Cubans — a really diverse group of Hispanic voters all here to support President Trump and the Republicans.”

For Cubans, not since President Ronald Reagan visited Little Havana on Cuban Independence Day 1983 and uttered the words “Viva Cuba Libre!” has a U.S. president or leader courted them by tugging at their wish to free Cuba after 65 years of dictatorship. Reagan won their vote. Likely, so will Trump.

Like Reagan, Trump’s tough talk against communism and socialism is another touchstone of his appeal, which he capitalized on at his Doral rally.

“We have a lot of people from Cuba and Venezuela here tonight and they don’t want to hear about communism and socialism,” Trump told the crowd to loud cheers.

Venezuelans in the crowd know that Trump, during his first administration went head-to-head with Maduro, trying to pressure him to step down. Trump failed, but vows to try again if elected. And Nicaraguans at the rally know Trump once imposed sanctions on Ortega during his undemocratic return to power.

The Biden Administration has also issued sanctions against both Latin American leaders, but Biden seldom publicly criticizes controversial Latin American leaders like Trump does.

Whatever you call it — pandering, preaching to the choir, connecting — it seems to be working for Trump.

Trump saves most of his ire for the Cuban government, which plays well in Miami-Dade. Trump has promised to roll back more concessions President Barack Obama gave as part of the reestablishment of diplomatic ties with Cuba. Easing travel and trade has not led to more freedoms or democracy on the island.

“As president, I will again stand with the people of Cuba in their long quest for justice, liberty and freedom,” Trump told the crowd, which erupted in cheers.

It is not surprising that many exiles appreciate Trump’s unapologetic “America First” nationalism. They are fiercely patriotic toward their adopted country. Years of Republican messaging that Democrats are anti-American socialists and communists — however false — has worked, especially when the Democratic Party hasn’t found a way to properly counter it.

By criticizing Latin American dictatorships, Trump offers the prospect of a stronger U.S. stance against them, even while he praises dangerous strongmen from other parts of the world, like Russia’s Vladimir Putin. That inconsistency doesn’t seem to matter to many Miami Hispanic voters, nor do Trump’s own threats to American democracy and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Another baffling aspect is how Trump denounces people crossing the border as “criminals and terrorists,” but Miami’s exile community does not feel he is talking to them even if some of them came to the country under similar circumstances as those fleeing countries like Venezuela today.

There is no doubt Trump has figured out how to appeal to the Miami-Dade exile community. And given their diligence in voting, it could be a winning formula for him.

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This story was originally published July 10, 2024 at 5:05 PM.