President Donald Trump stood before a room of Hispanic Americans at the White House on Wednesday and began listing characteristics he said he admired about them.
But as he worked through his praise, one description suggested that a trait he admired most could also present a problem.
Sometimes, he said, Hispanics are “too energetic” — a remark that quickly became the most striking moment of an event where the president was seeking to strengthen his relationship with a voting bloc that could be crucial in the November midterms.
The viral moment came during Trump’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, where he also promoted his administration’s economic policies and urged Hispanic voters to stick with Republicans.
The appeal came as recent polling showed declining support for Trump among Latino voters who backed him in 2024, with the economy and immigration emerging as major sources of dissatisfaction.
Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., has argued that Hispanic voters remain receptive to Trump despite concerns about his approval ratings, affordability and immigration policies.
National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. Trump issued a proclamation recognizing the month in 2025, but Wednesday’s White House celebration marked his first such event during his second term.
Trump opened his remarks by acknowledging the different terms used to describe people with roots in Latin America.
“The incredible Hispanics, you know, there’s lots of different names. Latinos, they call them so many different names, but I’ve used Hispanics.”
He then moved into generalizations that garnered the most attention online.
“You know the truth is you’re probably … you’re not supposed to generalize, but I do. You’re hard-working people, you’re smart as hell, you’re energetic, sometimes too energetic … You’re … a little bit too energetic. But you’re incredible people, and I’ve loved you right from the beginning,” Trump said.
“I loved you for many years before I ever decided to do this political thing. And you’ve liked me from the beginning because the numbers are incredible and I appreciate it.”
Trump’s comments came as both parties seek to make inroads with Hispanic voters, with the midterms little more than a month away. Democrats have shown signs of making gains among Hispanic voters in some battleground states, while Republicans are seeking to preserve the gains Trump made in the 2024 presidential election, according to The Hill.
Trump used Wednesday’s event to emphasize themes he has frequently associated with Hispanic voters, praising what he described as their commitment to “faith, family, and freedom.” He also promoted tax breaks on tips and overtime and an expanded child tax credit as evidence of his administration’s economic agenda.
Trump also tied his support among Hispanic voters to immigration, telling the audience:
“And you also know when I build a wall, I’m building a wall to keep bad people out. And you want those bad people kept out more than anybody,” Trump continued. “So, with the help of many friends in this room, two years ago we won more votes from the Hispanic Americans than any Republican president in history. And we won more than almost anybody that’s ever run for office. And it was a great thing. The polls had it totally wrong. They said he’ll do fairly well, but probably not too well with his past because, you know, and we did well.”
Trump has repeatedly argued that Hispanic Americans support his immigration crackdown because many Hispanic immigrants entered the country legally and therefore oppose illegal immigration. At Wednesday’s event, he again presented that view as a point of common ground between his administration and Hispanic voters.
He also boasted about his performance with Hispanic voters in 2024, saying: “I won all of the Hispanic cities.”
That claim came as Trump sought to portray his support among Hispanic voters as historically strong. His campaign did make substantial gains with the group in 2024, but the electorate was not uniformly behind him.
Pew Research Center’s analysis of validated 2024 voters found that 48% of Hispanic voters voted for Trump, compared with 51% for Kamala Harris. In 2020, Joe Biden defeated Trump among Hispanic voters by 61% to 36%. Pew found that Trump’s share of the Hispanic vote increased by 12 percentage points from 2020, while the Democratic candidate’s share fell by 10 points.
Voting patterns also varied within the Hispanic electorate. Hispanic women and men differed in their candidate preferences in 2024, while voters’ choices also varied by education, geography and other demographic characteristics.
But the political reaction to the event was anything but celebratory. Social media users criticized the president’s appeal to Hispanic voters as too little, too late.
“Trying to buy votes since Republicans are losing their backing,” one commenter wrote.
“These crazy people cheering him on,” another added, referring to the raucous applause in the room.
Someone else said, “He’s so ignorant it’s beyond comprehension.”
One more summed up: “Already embarrassing himself.”
