Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) sidestepped a question regarding her controversial comment about Latino Trump supporters during a CNN interview, which took place after she announced her Senate campaign.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, she had previously noted that Latinos who voted for Trump reminded her of enslaved individuals who “hated” themselves.
“It’s something akin to what people describe as a ‘slave mentality,’ where some slaves had feelings of hatred towards themselves,” she expressed.
“Their mindset seems almost like that of someone who’s enslaved. It’s particularly disheartening, given that many of them are immigrants, to hear their anti-immigrant sentiments,” she added. “I’m referring to individuals who have just arrived and can hardly vote yet act in this manner.”
During the interview, CNN’s Jake Tapper challenged Crockett about her remarks, highlighting that around 1 million Latino Texans supported Trump in 2024 and questioning if she believed all Hispanic Trump supporters shared a “slave mentality.”
“No, let me clarify, that’s not what I’m saying at all,” Crockett responded. “I’m not suggesting that all Latinos possess that mentality.”
“Right, but those who do vote often support a strong immigration policy or Trump’s immigration stance,” Tapper reiterated.
“I don’t think those who cast their ballots for Trump truly understand what they’re endorsing,” Crockett replied, sidestepping the inquiry. “First off, Trump claims he’ll remove the ‘bad guys.’ That’s where I was coming from.”
In another part of that interview, she criticized some Black men who had “denounced” former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 campaign and expressed a lack of trust in white women.
“I mentioned that I don’t trust white women because I think it’s important to talk to our sisters; they were the group that let down Hillary Clinton,” she remarked. “Statistically, it was white women who fell short for her. So, despite that, I can’t shake the feeling they might do the same to Kamala.”
Crockett has recently declared her candidacy for Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) seat.
