Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R) is running in a Latino-heavy district in Florida.
President Donald Trump pushed back Friday against a Republican critic, calling Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Florida) weak on border security.
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Salazar incurred Trump’s wrath by releasing a campaign video Thursday in which she said that some of Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts “have gone too far.”
Trump disagreed with Salazar’s characterization of his record on immigration, saying that he has “a very strong movement” and he claimed that the U.S., before he returned to the White House, “had the most unsafe border.”
“She obviously doesn’t have a very strong feeling for the border, but I do. And, I understand what she’s saying, but I … won because of my border,” he said at the White House’s Oval Office on Friday.
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In her video, Salazar — who is running in a close race that Democrats see as a flip opportunity — said the Hispanic voters who supported Trump in 2024 feel “betrayed” by his aggressive deportation efforts.
Trump said Friday that he’s strong on borders and Salazar isn’t.
“She’s a nice person. I got her elected. Without me, she wouldn’t have gotten elected,” he said. “Maria won only because of me. So she got a little bit softer than the border. I understand that, I understand that, but I just don’t happen to be there.”
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