Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) endorsed GOP frontrunner Donald Trump in an interview with The Washington Post.
“Donald Trump’s voice is resonating with average Americans who feel their voice has been lost by their party,” Barletta stated. “I believe this will become a new Republican Party, one that we should embrace. We should be the party of working men and women, the party of America first.”
As Mayor of Hazelton, Pennsylvania Barletta cracked down on illegal immigration and businesses that would hire illegal immigrants. He also instituted penalties for landlords that housed illegals.
The Washington Post’s Robert Costa notes: “Barletta, who also pushed as mayor to make English the city’s official language, defended his policies through contentious court battles and for a time became one of the most prominent voices within the Republican Party’s wing of immigration hard-liners.”
Barletta, who previously supported former 2016 presidential candidate Sen. Rick Santorum, said, “[Trump] caught my attention immediately when he highlighted illegal immigration and the open Southern border.”
“The fact that he didn’t back down, well, he was criticized the same way I was as mayor. It was reminiscent of what I went through,” he added.
“I’ve been called names, a racist and a bigot,” Barletta recalled. “I fought my case all the way to the Supreme Court. Donald Trump will fight his case all the way to the White House.”
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