A major consultant for Donald Trump disregards the impact Hispanic voters can have in electing the Republican president in 2016, a new report says.
Michael Cohen said Thursday that the majority of Latinos who reject Trump’s Oval Office bid are illegal immigrants and thus incapable of casting ballots next year, according to Yahoo News.
{mosads}“There are coalitions and I’m talking about now like Hispanic coalitions that …will not support Trump,” said Cohen, a lawyer who also serves as executive vice president and special counsel to the real estate mogul.
“And that’s OK because the ones that don’t like Trump aren’t even here legally and they can’t vote, so it doesn’t really matter, right?” he added.
“I understand their point of view,” Cohen continued. “They do not want to be asked to leave, right? And go back where? Go back to their homes? You know they don’t want to, so I understand.”
Cohen then admitted that Trump’s campaign believes it cannot win the White House without support from some American minorities.
“You can’t win a general election if your mindset is on the Southern, white, Christian coalition,” he said. “You need them, but you need the minority communities as well.”
The Trump surrogate revealed that the GOP candidate’s campaign is focusing its efforts on wooing African-Americans next year instead.
“Our goal is 100 percent,” he said when asked how much of that demographic Trump desires. “Or, to flip what has historically been the Democrats’ 93 percent. That’s Mr. Trump’s goal.”
Cohen additionally explained how Trump plans on winning over African-Americans during the next election cycle.
“First, you’ve got to bring God back into the neighborhood,” he said. “No. 2, jobs. Three, tax incentives. You’ve got to create businesses in the neighborhood. And four, education.
“The education [is] sort of mirrored, you know, with God, because they say that the best education you could ever get comes from your clergy.”
Trump has had a contentious relationship with Hispanics ever since launching his White House run last June.
The outspoken billionaire began his Oval Office bid by sharply criticizing illegal immigrants and Mexico on June 16.
“They’re sending people who have a lot of problems,” Trump said during his announcement speech at Trump Tower in New York City. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
Trump has repeatedly refused to soften his rhetoric linking violent crime with illegal immigration or stop criticizing Mexico’s border with the U.S. He has also frequently vowed he is winning the Latino vote in 2016.