Salazar says she spoke with Trump after immigration policy ad, calls him ‘very receptive’

WASHINGTON, DC: Republican Rep Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida), on Sunday, September 20, said she had spoken to President Donald Trump and claimed that he was “very receptive” after she released a campaign ad criticizing parts of his immigration enforcement agenda.

The 64-year-old congresswoman said she warned Trump that some Hispanic voters who supported him in 2024 now feel “betrayed” by his approach. Trump had publicly pushed back on her criticism, saying she had “got a little bit soft on the border.”

Maria Elvira Salazar says she urged Trump to rethink immigration approach

Speaking on CBS’ 'Face the Nation', Salazar described her conversation with Trump as positive and said she used it to argue that Republicans should preserve the support they gained among Hispanic voters during the 2024 election.

“He was a gentleman, very courteous, very receptive,” Salazar said, adding that she told the 80-year-old president, “you have this moment in history where you can keep the pot of gold that you brought to the GOP in 2024.”

Just days ago, Salazar released a campaign advertisement directly addressing Trump’s immigration policies. In the ad, she said, “Mr President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far,” and warned that Hispanic voters who supported Trump in 2024 “feel betrayed today.”

Salazar said immigration enforcement had become a “very toxic” issue and argued that the administration should distinguish between people involved in criminal activity and undocumented immigrants working in the US. “The average American understands the difference between the narco and the nanny and the gangster and the gardener,” she said.

She also argued that Trump could play a role in advancing immigration legislation, pointing to his background in construction and hospitality. “He gets it more than anybody,” Salazar said. “And I told him during our conversation, you could fix this mess that has been happening for 40 years.”

Trump and other Republicans push back on Maria Elvira Salazar

After she released the campaign ad, Trump publicly rejected Salazar’s criticism and disagreed with her position on immigration enforcement. “I’m very strong on the borders, and she isn’t,” he said on Friday. 

Trump also claimed Salazar’s political success was tied to his support, adding, “Maria won only because of me,” before saying, “She got a little bit soft on the border. I understand that. I understand that, but I just don't happen to be there.”

Salazar represents a South Florida district with a large Hispanic population that Trump carried by nearly 15 percentage points in 2024. Her decision to publicly challenge the administration’s immigration approach comes as Republicans campaign for the November midterm elections.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also pushed back on Salazar’s assessment. “I love Maria, and we've talked,” he said on Sunday, arguing that Republicans are instead focused on “how do you then reestablish a sense of law and order in America and get back to the rule of law, which, by the way, most Hispanics wanted and voted for in 2024.”