John Leguizamo says Trump is gaining support among religious Latinos because they're 'homophobic'
'Religious Latinos, they are anti-abortion and homophobic,' the actor insisted
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actor and comedian John Leguizamo said that religious Latinos who support former President Trump were "homophobic."
During an interview with TMZ, Leguizamo was asked about Vice President Kamala Harris polling lower with Latino voters than President Biden had when he was the 2024 presidential nominee. The "John Wick" and "Encanto" actor said Harris needed to be more "aggressive" and "court" Latinos, suggesting the VP needed a big-name celebrity to endorse her and encourage younger people in this demographic to vote.
When asked about Latinos in the Sun Belt trending toward Trump, Leguizamo suggested Harris would have a difficult time winning over religious Latinos due to their views on abortion and LGBTQ issues.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Latino people are not a monolith," said Leguizamo. "No group is, right? So, religious Latinos, they are anti-abortion and homophobic," he said, adding that these voters might be swayed on jobs and housing instead.
John Leguizamo talked about who Latino voters were supporting in the 2024 election in a new interview with TMZ. (Getty Images)
"You might get them, because the thing Latinos care most about is jobs and housing," he continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So if you're talking about start[ing] businesses, Latino women are No. 1 start-up businesses in America. And we Latinos poll very large [sic] on keeping the housing market going…and Kamala Harris brought up those points and she's gotta keep hitting those points," he said.
Leguizamo also suggested Latinos who support Trump on immigration don't have "sympathy or empathy" for those coming into America seeking asylum or those who cross the border illegally.
"I think a lot of immigrants who came here are competitive with other immigrants coming in for some weird reason and have no sympathy or empathy for people looking for a better life," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Nobody wants to come to the border that way…you only do that if you have no other option. If you're running away from violence, starving to death," he continued. "They're only coming here to work. To get a job — no American would risk their life for a job."
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People gather for an election rally for former U.S. President Donald Trump in Crotona Park in the South Bronx on May 23, 2024, in New York City. The Bronx borough, home to a large Latino community, has been a Democratic base for generations of voters and the rally comes as Trump looks to attract more non-White voters. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
In an interview with Salon last May, the politically outspoken actor said that Latino Americans don't understand that Trump was responsible for "damaging" the economy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Because Latinos, they’re blaming him [Biden] for the economy, which they shouldn’t be because COVID was the culprit and Trump not handling COVID was the culprit in damaging our economy," he told the outlet.
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Leguizamo also compared Latinos who support Trump to roaches supporting insecticide.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Latin people for Republicans are like roaches for Raid. Let's just get real," Leguizamo said on an episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher" in October of 2020. "I think there's a level of self-hate or just lack of care for the rest of your Latin brothers and sisters who are in cages, who are being demonized by this president."
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Trump is outperforming his 2020 support from Hispanic voters, a recent poll finds. (Getty Images)
Trump is outperforming his 2020 support among Hispanic voters, according to a recent poll.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hispanic voters give Trump a 42% to 37% advantage over Harris regarding immigration policy, Reuters/Ipsos polling from late August shows. These voters also prefer Trump's platform on the economy by 45% to 36%, but they give Harris a double-digit advantage on the issues of health care and climate change, according to the poll.
Fox News' Gabriel Hays and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.