Eric Hendrickson

The problem is that many Spanish-dominant Hispanic Americans rely heavily on Spanish-language media for political news; and when that coverage presents an exaggerated or distorted picture of President Trump’s policies, there has to be an aggressive effort to push back in the same spaces where those narratives are being shaped. But the Trump administration decided it wasn’t necessary to have a dedicated White House operation consistently engaging Spanish-language media, while administration officials and surrogates appear almost daily across conservative media. That’s preaching to the choir. You don’t maintain a coalition, much less expand one, by speaking only to people who already agree with you. Republicans made major gains with Hispanic voters by competing in spaces that had traditionally been dominated by Democrats and making their case directly. Meanwhile, progressive and socialist voices continue appearing on Spanish-language networks while also increasingly entering conservative media spaces. They understand the long game: compete everywhere, challenge opposing narratives, and try to persuade people outside their base. Republicans should be doing the same! There is too much at stake to surrender entire media ecosystems. The administration needs its strongest communicators and surrogates everywhere (including Spanish-language media) pushing back, defending its record, maintaining the coalition that helped elect it, and continuing to compete for persuadable voters. You cannot win hearts and minds from inside an echo chamber. We have a country to save!