Trump campaign opens outreach office in a heavily Latino part of Pennsylvania
Trump's campaign has teamed up with the Republican National Committee and Pennsylvania GOP to open a “Latino Americans for Trump” office in the heavily Latino town of Reading.
READING, Pa. — The pastor opened with a prayer in Spanish, asking that the Lord’s spirit and guidance direct the proceedings without offering an English translation. Most of the around 50 attendees were white and weren’t appearing to follow along, though they knew enough to sing out “Amen!” at the end.
Thus began former President Donald Trump's campaign teaming up with the Republican National Committee and Pennsylvania GOP to open a “Latino Americans for Trump” office Wednesday in the town of Reading.
“We believe in the American Dream and the only way to obtain the American Dream is working hard,” Luis Fortuño, the former governor of Puerto Rico, told the same crowd. For the smaller group of Spanish speakers present, he followed with remarks that leaned heavily on the theme of “Necesitamos cambio” — Spanish for “We need change.”
Trump and top Republicans are looking to boost their support among Hispanic voters in a swing state that could well decide the election. Having shuttered many party offices that specialized in minority outreach, they are betting that promises to prioritize entrepreneurship and smaller government can resonate with a voting bloc that historically has favored Democrats.
Reading is perhaps best known as the namesake for the Reading Railroad from the Monopoly gameboard. A town of about 95,000 around 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia, Reading is 67% Latino, according to U.S. Census figures, and home to high concentrations of people of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage.
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