East Room gathering and remarks

President Donald Trump hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month reception at the White House on 30 September 2026, marking the first time he held the event during his second term after skipping it the prior year. Speaking for nearly an hour before conservative Hispanic supporters in the East Room, Trump praised Hispanic Americans for their contributions to business, faith, and public service, while describing them as hardworking and smart. He invited attendees to tour the active construction site of the new White House ballroom, cautioning them about the open drops at the location.

“Don't fall over the edge because it's a long way down. And only Hispanic could survive that fall. So I'm not overly worried.”

Trump acknowledged at the 22-minute mark that he had delayed formally mentioning the purpose of the gathering, noting his speech had focused heavily on other topics, including how the ballroom construction project relaxed him. He also discussed the war in Iran, calling it successful, and observed that the party in power typically suffers losses in midterm contests. He urged the audience to mobilize ahead of the November midterm elections, asking attendees to tell voters that he was effectively on the ballot.

Foreign policy and immigration pressures

The speech covered several foreign policy topics, beginning with the announcement of the withdrawal of the final United States troops from Iraq on Wednesday. Trump referenced the January 2026 operation to capture Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and told attendees to monitor upcoming actions by Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerning Cuba. Rubio, whose parents emigrated from Cuba in 1956, addressed the crowd to praise the United States and describe the immigrant experience.

“I would say that, as Hispanic Americans, we are Americans. We love this country. We love it because many of us know, whether through our own experience or through our parents or grandparents, what life is like in other places, and that is why we know how special this country is.”

Trump also spoke about domestic enforcement, describing immigration policy as the most difficult aspect of his presidency due to competing demands from his political base and opponents of his deportation measures. While he credited his 2024 victory to his border security platform, he explained that internal political fallout had led to fluctuating enforcement levels. He added that advisers had urged him to reduce public discussion of the issue ahead of the midterms.

“And frankly, it's the hardest job that I've had, the hardest job, because they'll say 'You're too tough' or 'You're too soft.' Get tougher, get softer. No matter what you do. It's always tough.”

Polling shifts ahead of midterms

The reception followed survey data showing a decline in Hispanic backing for Republicans compared with the 2024 presidential election, when Trump secured 48% of the Latino vote. By April 2026, his approval among those Hispanic voters who supported him in 2024 had fallen 27 percentage points to 66%. A New York Times/Siena poll recorded an overall Hispanic approval rating of 26% for Trump, with 8% approving of his management of the cost of living, 18% on the economy, and 26% on immigration.

Overall26%

Immigration26%

Economy18%

Cost of living8%

Overall

26 %

Immigration

26 %

Economy

18 %

Cost of living

8 %

Data from the article text

Average figures from national polls over the month leading up to October 2026 showed Democrats holding a 35-point advantage over Republicans among likely Hispanic voters on the generic congressional ballot, standing at 64% to 29%. Trump told attendees that his administration was doing an extremely poor job of promotion while doing an extremely great job of running the country. He acknowledged personal responsibility for the messaging, stating that he had done a very bad job of explaining how well the country was performing.

Democrats64%

Republicans29%

Democrats

64 %

Republicans

29 %

Data from the article text