Politico
By Eliza Collins and Seung Min Kim
September 1, 2015
Donald
Trump, who has roiled the Republican presidential race with his
inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants, has kicked off an
outreach push for the Hispanic
vote, meeting on Tuesday with the CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce.
He got high marks.
CEO
Javier Palomarez said the meeting, which had been on the books for
three weeks, went on for more than an hour and that Trump in private was
different than he is in
public. He called the real estate mogul "gracious" and "hospitable."
"What
I found in the private dialogue ... was a very different Donald Trump
than the one I've seen in the media," Palomarez told POLITICO. The CEO
said that Trump spent
more time listening than talking.
The
meeting, which was held Tuesday morning at the request of Trump, was
first reported by CNN. The USHCC represents 3.2 million Hispanic-owned
businesses and has 200
local chapters.
“When
it comes to immigration, we've repeatedly found ourselves in
disagreement with Mr. Trump. His advisors stressed, however, that our
disagreement was based on the
media's mischaracterization of his stances,” USHCC said in a statement
on Tuesday. “We wanted to hear Mr. Trump clearly articulate his views,
away from the public spectacle, the media, and the debate floor.”
Trump’s
remarks about illegal immigrants have been causing waves since he
referred to them as “rapists” and “criminals” during his presidential
announcement speech on
June 16.
After
that speech, the chamber announced it would not use Trump hotels for
two upcoming conventions, a move that Palomarez estimated would cost the
business tycoon millions,
compared to if he had won their bids.
Palomarez
said that most people were supportive of the meeting when they learned
that it was just giving the GOP contender a platform to share his views,
but some are
still "a bit off-put."
His
immigration policy — the only proposal the candidate has released so
far — calls for the deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants, a wall
along the southern border,
and the end to birthright citizenship. It has caused presidential
candidates to take hard stances on the issues, putting them on both
sides of the line.
Palomarez said that the two discussed a range of issues including the economy, American competitiveness and immigration.
When
asked if they addressed Trump's use of the derogatory term "anchor
baby" to describe children of illegal immigrant parents who gain
citizenship by being born in the
U.S., Palomarez said, "To hear Donald tell it, he’s been
mischaracterized, the media. The liberal media has been unfair to him."
Trump
agreed to participate in a public Q&A with USHCC on Oct. 8, an
opportunity they offer to all presidential candidates. So far, they've
hosted Sens. Ted Cruz and Bernie
Sanders and former Gov. Martin O'Malley. Gov. John Kasich and former
Gov. Jeb Bush also have plans to participate in the future, according to
Palomarez.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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