‘Gone too far’: Republican congresswoman criticises Trump in ad
Updated . First published at
In a 30-second ad, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar criticises Donald Trump directly to camera.
Weeks before the midterm election, Trump is copping no shortage of flak from Democrats.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar is seeking to distance herself from Donald Trump. AP
But what makes this ad so unusual is that Salazar is a Republican.
"Mr President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far," she said, directly to camera.
"In July, 50 per cent of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record.
"Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy."
Addressing the ad directly to Trump may be a gimmick, but the congresswoman represents a Miami-area seat.
That means Trump may well end up seeing the ad when he’s spending his weekends at Mar-a-Lago.
The commercial is a strong indication of how Trump's unpopularity threatens to be an anchor on his party in the November election.
President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are in the doldrums. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Both Trump and Salazar won by double digits in that district two years ago, but the swing against Republicans may be more severe there.
Salazar represents one of the most heavily-Hispanic districts in the country, with high numbers of Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants.
Her Democratic opponent Eliott Rodriguez accused her of lying.
“She’s been a pathetic rubber stamp for Trump while they made (her district) unaffordable, slashed health care, terrorised immigrants and shoved constituents into Alligator Alcatraz,” he said.
"Now, before the election, she pretends to fight Trump."
Both Salazar and Rodriguez are former television news reporters.
But she is not the only person associated with Trump who is now distancing themselves from the president.
Popular podcast host Joe Rogan, whose endorsement of Trump was seen as a pivotal moment in the 2024 election, is now backing away.
"Trump supporters are f—ing nuts, man," Rogan said in his latest podcast.
"They're rabid."
"I’ve been left-wing my whole life."
In a striking sign that voters are souring on Trump, fewer than 20 per cent of voters support his plan to give every American adult $5000.
President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner in the Rose Garden. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
A poll this week from Reuters/Ipsos said only 17 per cent though his $5000 dividend promise was appropriate.
Sixty-three per cent of those polled were opposed to the measure.
The same poll found that 61 per cent of voters viewed Trump unfavourably, and only 34 per cent approved.
Election forecasters now believe it is more likely than not that Democrats will win both houses of Congress in the midterm elections.
Nevertheless, Trump is not laying low ahead of the elections, which is the typical move of unpopular presidents.
"Pretend I'm on the ballot," he told supporters last week.
"Because if we lose, you're going to lose your border. You're going to lose your tax cuts. You're going to lose your safety and security. You're going to lose your wealth."
He asked his supporters to "cheat like hell" to ensure Republicans won in the midterms.
"You know what happens if you don’t vote? You go to hell," Trump said.
"So please go and vote, because together we will defeat the communists."
Election Day is November 3.
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