Somos' Melissa Morales on Trump's First Year: "A year of broken promises, economic pain, and manufactured chaos"
One year after taking office, Trump's standing with Latino voters has completely collapsed as economic hardship mounts and administration creates crisis after crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the one-year anniversary of President Trump taking office and its devastating impact on Latino families, Melissa Morales, Founder and President of Somos Votantes, released the following statement:
"One year ago today, Donald Trump took the oath of office promising to lower costs for working people, including hardworking Latinos. Instead, families got broken promises, mounting economic pain, and an administration that manufactures crisis after crisis to distract from its economic failures.
Our year-long polling tells an unmistakable story of collapse. Trump started his term underwater with Latino voters at -12 favorability in February. Today, he sits at -26. His job approval crashed from -11 to -28. His economic approval — the issue he campaigned on — has cratered from -13 to -30. These numbers represent a systematic, documented deterioration every single quarter as Latino voters experience the real-world consequences of his policies.
The economic data validates what Latino voters have been telling us all year. We just closed out one of the weakest years for job growth in decades — just 50,000 jobs added in December. Meanwhile, 95% of Latino voters are concerned about rising costs, 91% worry about wages not keeping up, and 69% say Trump's tariff policies are driving up the prices of everything they buy. Latino voters know exactly who to blame: by 21 points, they blame Republicans over Democrats for the rising cost of living. By 22 points, they blame Republicans for wages failing to keep pace with costs.
Perhaps most damning: more than one in three Latino voters who cast their ballot for Trump in 2024 say they're disappointed or regret that decision. That's what happens when you promise to slash prices but instead give free rein to cut programs families depend on while pushing through tax breaks for billionaires.
And now, as Trump's economic plan crumbles, he's doing what he always does — manufacturing chaos and distractions. Military intervention in Venezuela. Protests filling the streets of Minneapolis. Reckless threats toward Greenland. Trump can create all the international incidents and domestic crises he wants, but he can't hide from the economic damage his policies have inflicted on the families who can least afford it.
Latino voters wanted a president focused on inflation and the cost of living — 51% say it should be the top priority. Instead, only 14% believe Trump is actually focused on it. That 37-point gap tells you everything you need to know about this administration's first year: completely disconnected from the concerns of working families, underwater on every metric that matters, and resorting to chaos and distraction to avoid accountability for broken promises and failed policies.
As we head into year two, Latino voters are sending a clear message: they're extremely motivated to vote in 2026 — 84% motivated, 61% extremely motivated—and the economy drives that motivation for 94% of them. They're ready to hold Trump and Republicans accountable for a year of economic pain, broken promises, and manufactured chaos that has made their lives harder, not easier."
Somos Votantes conducted comprehensive quarterly polling throughout Trump's first year, documenting steady deterioration across all metrics:
- Favorability: -12 (Feb) → -17 (May) → -20 (Sept) → -26 (Nov)
- Job Approval: -11 (Feb) → -18 (May) → -23 (Sept) → -28 (Nov)
- Economic Approval: -13 (Feb) → -20 (May) → -26 (Sept) → -30 (Nov)
Key demographic shifts showed Trump's former strongholds turning decisively against him, with Latino men going from +5 favorability in May to deeply negative, young voters' favorability crashing from -11 to -34, and independents plummeting from -8 to -31 over the course of the year.
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About Somos Votantes
Somos Votantes is a Latino-led, Latino-focused organization that runs some of the largest independent Latino civic and voter engagement programs in the country. We envision a nation where hardworking Latinos have the opportunities and tools to fully participate in our democracy. Somos Votantes seeks to empower hardworking Latinos in shaping the future of our democracy, primarily through non-partisan civic engagement programs, by increasing our participation in elections and advocating for progressive policies.Visit https://www.somosvotantes.com/ for more information on this program and other projects, and follow the organization on Instagram, Facebook, and X.