Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) says she has spoken directly with President Trump since releasing the campaign ad in which she told him his immigration enforcement had “gone too far,” and describes the exchange as cordial.
Appearing on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” the Miami Republican was asked by Margaret Brennan whether Trump had taken her advice.
Brennan read the ad’s claims back to her: that Hispanics who helped elect him in 2024 “feel betrayed,” that enforcement had gone too far, and that half of the 50,000 people detained in July “had no criminal record.”
“Listen, it was a very good conversation,” Salazar answered, reported the Daily Caller. “He was a gentleman, very courteous, very receptive.”
She said she had put the argument to him in terms of political self-interest. “Sir, you have this moment in history where you can keep the pot of gold that you brought to the GOP in 2024,” she recounted telling him.
She continued, “No other president — and you know I covered for 35 years Spanish television — no other president was able to convince the Hispanics to vote 55 points for a GOP president. Please preserve that fortune that you have brought to the party.”
Salazar tied the appeal to her own background and to the stakes she sees in coming elections. “Because we need to continue winning elections, because we have this very big threat called the socialists on the Democratic side,” she said. “I belong to the Miami community. I’m the daughter of political refugees. I’m first-generation American, and I want to preserve the American values that are entrenched in the GOP and that the Hispanics share. So, remember, sir, that you are the only guy who can do this.”
She stopped short of claiming she had changed his mind. “And then we had a fantastic conversation. I certainly hope he listened to what I was saying, but he listened.”
Trump’s own account has been cooler.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, he said of Salazar: “She’s a nice person. I got her elected. Without me she wouldn’t have gotten elected.”
Salazar did not retract the ad in the interview, and she did not repeat its criticism either, casting her role as advisory rather than adversarial. The Daily Caller did not report when the conversation with Trump took place, or whether it was held by phone or in person.
