Pence tells crowd at Cinco de Mayo party Trump has made Latinos 'a priority'

Vice President Mike Pence told revelers at a Cinco de Mayo celebration Thursday that President Trump has made "the Latino community a priority" and "always will."

"We are, as the saying goes, with a few exceptions, a nation of immigrants, and that's as true today as it was at the hour of America's birth," Pence said, before launching into a story about his own Irish immigrant grandfather. Later, he said that "economically, culturally, in our churches, our towns and cities across this country, the truth is that Mexican Americans and Hispanic Americas as a whole make a difference in America every single day. And that really is what we celebrate in Cinco de Mayo."

Cinco de Mayo is a day to commemorate Mexico's triumph over French forces in 1862's Battle of Puebla, and Trump marked last year's holiday with a tweet that plugged Trump Tower's taco bowls ("the best") and attempted some flattery ("I love Hispanics!"). During his campaign, Trump famously said Mexico was sending "rapists" and criminals to the U.S., vowed to build a wall along the U.S./Mexico border that Mexico would eventually pay for, insulted a judge of Mexican heritage, and had Univision journalist Jorge Ramos removed from a press conference after daring to ask him a question. The drama didn't end with the inauguration; once Trump was in the White House, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto canceled his February trip to Washington because of the proposed wall.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up