'Losing faith': New poll shows Trump bleeding support from 'disenchanted' voting bloc

A new survey by the Latino outreach firm Equis shows alarming numbers for President Donald Trump among a voting group critical to the GOP's strategy — but it doesn't necessarily mean good news for Democrats.

Latino voters, who constitute one of the most diverse ethnic groups in the United States, have historically been a Democratic-leaning group, and remain so. But a growing contingent has backed Republicans in the last few years, and Trump winning a large minority proved crucial to his popular vote plurality last year.

But Trump's healthy numbers among Latino voters have cratered in recent polls, and the latest provides new evidence.

The new survey, noted Equis research director Caitlin Jury, shows that "Latinos are facing significant everyday economic challenges, and are looking for relief in the places they feel the squeeze the most, from groceries to healthcare. They’re losing faith in Trump as a good businessman and in his ability to handle the economy."

Furthermore, she said, they "favor increasing taxes for billionaires and big corporations over cutting social programs as a way to offset spending – precisely the opposite of the Trump administration’s approach."

Breaking down the data more granularly, the survey revealed: "Fewer Latinos approve of Trump’s job now (35%, to 63% disapprove) than in Equis polling from May (38%, to 60% disapprove)," and that "A lesser share of Latino Trump voters are set on voting for Republicans in 2026 than Latino Harris voters are on supporting Democrats in the midterm (67% vs. 86%). The former is driven by some switching (8% of Trump voters say they’ll vote for a Democrat) and lots of uncertainty (20% undecided)."

Trump's approval among Latino voters who backed Biden in 2020 and Trump last year is around 50 percent, while Democrats overall lead by double-digit margins on inflation and the economy, and a plurality don't believe Trump is a good businessman, with 1 in 5 saying they used to believe he is but don't anymore.

While all of this is good news for Democrats, the survey memo noted, this doesn't necessarily mean Democrats are going to win back all the Latino voters who have soured on Trump.

"Half of Latinos say Democrats care more about people like them, versus 25% who say Republicans care more, and 17% who say neither party cares more. But Biden defectors are twice as likely to say neither party cares more about people like them (38%)."

A good way to read this, wrote Eric Michael Garcia of The Independent, is "Latino voters didn't *move right.* They just don't trust the Democratic Party. Now they are becoming disenchanted with the GOP."

And former GOP Latino consultant Mike Madrid's take is simple: "The populist anti-party sentiment among Latinos continues to grow."