Trump to Latino leadership conference: "With the help of Hispanic Americans we will get our country back"

President Donald J. Trump energized hundreds of Republicans and conservative Latinos at the Hispanic Leadership Conference Wednesday afternoon at the InterContinental Miami resort hotel by the popular Bayside shopping area.

The conference, which was co-hosted by the America First Policy Institute and Texas-based Hispanic pro-liberty group Bienvenido offered private workshops during the day with former Trump administration officials and opened the event to the press in the afternoon when the president spoke.

The president was quick to praise the Hispanic American community, saying they remain a strong shield to protect the nation from a Marxist-Leninist future that has already haunted parts of Latin America.

“We will not let communism destroy our nation. With the help of Hispanic Americans, we will get our country back!” Trump said to a cheering crowd.

After an introduction from AFPI CEO and former White House advisor Brooke Rollins and GOYA Foods CEO Bob Unanue, the crowd of hundreds unleashed a roar of applause as Trump entered the stage. The longtime construction mogul offered prayers for a speedy recovery and reconstruction for the people of Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian and then praised the Hispanic American community.

“As we continue to pray for a speedy recovery, we’re here this afternoon to celebrate one the fastest growing groups in the entire country, proud Hispanic conservatives,” Trump said to his audience, which sometimes repeated his comments as a rallying cry.

An uproarious laugh filled the room when the 45th president made a small dig toward the Washington establishment and mainstream media.

“The media and the Washington establishment, they never saw it coming,” he said to quick reactions of laughter and applause. “You never saw it coming, did you CNN? But today Hispanic Americans are joining our movement by the millions and millions.”

Trump said Hispanics are defecting from the left and coming over to the right because they are American patriots at heart and want to honor their long tradition of being part of what they helped build across the nation.

“Hispanics are rallying to our cause for a simple reason—because they love America, and you believe in America and you know the time has come to stand out and defend America and everything it stands for,” he said. “Generations of Hispanic citizens have helped built forge our communities, found our churches, build our small businesses, police our streets, teach our children, protect our borders, serve in our military and lift up our nation in a million different ways.”

Trump also said Hispanic Americans have offered improvements to the metropolitan areas they’ve resided in and the industries in which they’ve worked.

“There is no industry that Hispanic Americans have not made stronger and better, and there’s so many represents in this room that leads those industries and so many others, it’s really incredible. There’s no city Hispanics have not made better, and there’s no part of America that has not been uplifted by Hispanic Americans and not made better.”

The former president also criticized the current policies and governance of the Biden administration.

The Hispanic American community is a blessing to our nation, and today as we are watching what we worked so hard to build together, and it is absolutely being ripped apart,” he said striking a sad tone.

“We are now, and it’s a very sad thing to say a nation in decline… we are a failing nation. America is supposed to be the land of hope and freedom but under the Biden administration, it has become a land of recession and depression… repression and fear. America is supposed to be the land of hope, of freedom, and opportunity, and under the Biden administration it has become a land of recession, probably depression, and when you think of it repression and misery, and fear. It has actually become a nation of fear.”

Trump predicted that the next 12 months of inflation will cost families average an average of $8,500, adding that, “of all demographics… according to the Federal Reserve, inflation is hitting Hispanic Americans the hardest of any group,” adding that “wages for Hispanics Americans have declined by nearly four percent.”

The president said that under President Joe Biden “and the radical Left,” 26 million low-income households also “had their life savings completely wiped out.”

Shortly after Mr. Trump finished speaking he said goodbye to the crowd, which cheered his name and many conference attendees met with former administration officials. The media has speculated Trump may run for president in 2024, but so far he has made no formal announcement.