Ricky Martin: It’s “super sad” to see Latinx people supporting Trump
The singer said it was "scary" to think that Latino voters are supporting the president
Ricky Martin has publicly voiced his disappointment in seeing continued support for President Donald Trump’s reelection bid from those within the Latino community.
In an interview for the Variety and iHeart podcast The Big Ticket, the singer criticized the group Latinos for Trump, saying it was “really scary” to think that Latino voters are supporting the president.
“It is super sad,” he said. “I think there’s a lot Hispanics that will vote him out. Trumpeters make a lot of noise and it’s scary to see their enthusiasm.”
He continued: “But us, we’re doing what’s right, the right way and we’ll see what happens in November. I’m very optimistic.”
Martin is a vocal supporter of former Vice President Joe Biden, and appeared at a campaign event for him in September. He also supported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign.
“I’ve been supporting Biden forever,” he said, adding, “I think he is the only option we have and he is great and he has been in politics all his life. This is the moment. We all need to get together and be loud about the course of this nation.”
Martin said that he supports Biden because of his own experiences: “I am a Latino, gay [and] married to an Arab living in Trump’s America. We check all the boxes.”
CBS News reports that, for the first time, the number of eligible Hispanic voters outweighs the number of eligible Black voters in this year’s presidential election, with 32 million Hispanic people eligible to vote — 13% of all eligible voters.
And while recent polling suggest Biden has majority support among Latino voters, a Telemundo poll released this week found that more than 70% of Cuban-American voters in key swing-state Florida support Trump.
Martin said that, whether Biden wins or loses, he and his husband won’t be going anywhere — despite thoughts to the contrary.
“I think when you have 50 million people voting already, it’s because we are not the only ones concerned about this and for that I am extremely happy,” he said. “We just take it one day at a time and we’ve had plans like we might leave the country, but no. We have to stay here and we have to fight for our rights and what we believe.”
Read more:
Texas social workers will no longer be allowed to turn away LGBTQ clients
Anti-gay evangelical pastor fumes about the Pope’s support for same-sex civil unions
WATCH: RuPaul and Cory Booker react to learning they’re related
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.