The chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) tried to change the subject when he was asked on Spanish-language TV about Latino gains in President Donald Trump’s economy.

The host, Patricia Janiot, said, “Mr. Perez, President Trump has achieved something important, especially for Latinos, which is to reduce the unemployment rate to historic lows. How then can the Democrats compete with a president that has been beneficial to Latinos on economic matters?”

“The economic situation in the United States is excellent for the wealthy like Trump,” Tom Perez replied. “But the economic situation is still bad for our community, and that’s why we have to elect Democrats.”

In 2016, Trump captured just under 30 percent of the Latino vote, far above the expectations set by pre-election polls.

Trump has launched an extensive effort to win more Latino voters in 2020, according to an NBC news report:

His second campaign, far better financed and organized than his first, is pressing every potential tactical advantage, including trying to capture even small slivers of the Hispanic vote, hoping it adds up to the narrowest of winning margins.

“I think that you win campaigns with what we call ‘tajaditos.’ Little bits. You have to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” said Bertica Cabrera Morris, a Cuba native and “Latinos For Trump” advisory board member. “You don’t need everyone from every group, but you have to have a little bit of everything.”

…

“Latinos are moving out of the urban centers, moving away from the stronghold of the Democrats,” said Jose Fuentes, a former attorney general of Puerto Rico who is advising the president’s reelection effort and called Pennsylvania “a perfect example.” ”We’re microtargeting those areas that can be successful for us.”

One reason for Trump’s economic success is his refusal to approve the amnesties sought by business groups. This rejection of additional immigration is popular among many Latinos, who put their desire for higher wages — and more family income — above their possible solidarity with other Hispanics and with immigrants.