Trump reaching out to Hispanics, but not only for votes, experts say
MIAMI - Only a day before former President Donald Trump detoured his motorcade to Versailles Restaurant in Little Havana, he did a live call interview with Americano Media, a conservative Spanish media network based in South Florida.
"It is a regression," said Trump as he responded to the host of the show when asked about the indictment he was about to face in Miami federal court.
"What we're seeing is the type of thing Mr. President that sadly happens in Latin America," said the journalist. "... but there is an incredible lovefest between the Hispanic community and myself," responded Trump.
Based on a post on his Truth Social media platform, former President Trump experienced some of that lovefest Tuesday with dozens of supporters in Little Havana, most of them Cuban Americans, who see him as a political prisoner of the Biden administration.
"It's a rigged deal... we have a country that is corrupt," said Trump while speaking to his supporters at a private gathering inside Versailles Restaurant.
According to a New York Times article, Trump has been particularly focusing on persuading Latinos, a strategy that may be both political and legal.
It is possible that the jury pool could be drawn from registered voters in Miami-Dade County, where according to census data, nearly 70 percent of the population identified as Latino.
"Just because his initial appearance arraignment took place in Miami, that doesn't mean this case is going to be tried in Miami-Dade County," said David Weinstein, former state and federal prosecutor.
He said that Trump's case was filed and sent to West Palm Beach to a judge to try cases in that district.
"So, this case should be tried not here in Miami, but in the West Palm Beach area and the composition of the jury pool there is different than it is in Miami-Dade County."
After former President Trump left the Miami courtroom, his motorcade went directly to Versailles where he invoked corruption and dysfunction of the u.S. Government, Trump has said that Latino voters in Florida are the ones who understand him, especially those coming from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Trump has repeatedly alluded to Democrats as "communists," including during a speech on Tuesday night at his club in Bedminster, N.J.
Weisntein, focused on the legal aspect of the case, says the task will be to find 12 jurors who can put biases aside, he says it make take longer but it has happened before.
"I understand that we are a very divided country about this particular case, there must be 12 people somewhere and a couple of alternatives who'll be able to put away their preconceived notions and just listen to the evidence, look at the facts and those people will ultimately decide the fate of this case," said Weinstein.