Trump’s pandemic response pushes conservative Latino to consider Biden

This story is part of “Every 30 seconds”, a collaborative project of reporting in the public media tracing the young Latin American electorate until the presidential election of 2020 and beyond.

The 2020 US presidential election campaign has already been a roller coaster ride for Jacob Cuenca.

In early March, the 18-year-old high school student from Homestead, a town just south of Miami, was a registered Republican who planned to vote for President Donald Trump for the first time in November.

But three months after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, that foresight began to change. Trump’s response to the pandemic has not lived up to Cuencas’ expectations. This is a case study of how new voters are resisting the political, economic and social upheavals caused by the spread of COVID-19.

Supposedly, the administration had known about the coronavirus for a few months but had not warned, like, the public or anything. It just didn’t manage well.

Jacob Cuenca, 18 for the first time

Supposedly, the administration had known about the coronavirus for a few months, but did not warn the public or anything like that, Cuenca said this month. It just didn’t manage well.

Cuenca now plans to vote for former vice president Joe Biden, the presumed democratic candidate.

In a swing state as large as Florida, the decisions made by young Latino voters like Cuenca could determine the overall election result. Statewide key races were decided with a margin of 1% or less. As the Latin American population exploded, it was aggressively wooed by Republicans and Democrats.

Related: Every 30 seconds, a young Latin American is 18 years old. Their votes count more than ever.

Even before the pandemic, Cuenca said, his support for Trump in the 2020 election was somewhat reluctant.

He attends a public high school in the coastal city of Miami and specializes in studies in marine sciences. His teachers highlight the impact of rising sea levels and climate change on Floridas ecosystems.

Trump, he says nonsense, and honestly, I really don’t agree with a lot of the things he likes, building the wall or how he thinks climate change is wrong and all that, said Cuenca .

Still according to Cuenca, he identifies himself as a conservative at heart and this goes beyond Trump.

I just believe in conservatism, said Cuenca in early March. I feel like you can do it all by working hard enough. As long as you think about it and have a dream and your eyes are bright, you can do anything you want, honestly. You really can.

You can’t let one person ruin the whole party, he added.

Conservative values

The composition of the Latin American community in South Florida is distinct from the rest of the nation. Mexicans are a minority among Latinos in the region. Most Latino immigrants come to Florida from the Caribbean and South America, bringing a distinct culture and political frames of reference.

Cuencas’ mother is a Mexican American democrat. But his father is a Cuban American who voted for Trump and looks more conservative. Growing up, Cuenca heard horror stories about Cubas’ left government from his paternal grandfather, who was a political prisoner on the island.

He fled Cuba. He twice refused communism and was thrown in prison, Cuenca said of his grandfather. They put him on for about nine years to work in the sugar cane fields.

Related: Why Some Florida Latinos Question Sanders’ Democratic Socialism

But politically, Cuenca said he had come to see himself as a conservative all by himself. He assigns an advanced course on the history of American investing and a habit of reading news from various sources.

I feel like I am more in line with conservative values ​​than liberal values, said Cuenca. He believes in low taxes for the wealthy and a limited welfare state. Nevertheless, he supports certain more liberal positions, such as abortion rights.

Cuenca’s musical and clothing tastes are closer to the 1990s than to 2020. He is a big fan of the group Nirvana and wears t-shirts displaying their album covers.

I mean he embodies a rebellious teenager, said Tristan, Cuencas’ older brother. He kind of looks like Kurt Cobain, blond hair, listening to a lot of grunge music. Lots of alternative stuff. And it’s very funny.

Cuencas Nirvana’s favorite song is Radio Friendly Unit Shifter from the album “In Utero”. In this document, Kurt Cobain wonders why he alternates between this and that, hot and cold. What is wrong with me? asks the song.

Decide between candidates

Cuenca has also been wondering lately.

Especially when it comes to politics, recently when I heard my brother talk about some things I love, Jacob did his research on all of this, said Tristan. It somehow passes this phase of non-flip-flops, but weighing the pros and cons on both sides.

Almost three months after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Cuenca is still weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the two political parties in the run-up to the presidential elections of 2020. And some differences are beginning to appear.

My father’s hours have been reduced. So it’s pretty scary.

Jacob Cuenca, 18 for the first time

My father’s hours have been reduced. So it’s pretty scary, said Cuenca.

Related: How Republicans Court The Latinos Vote

The US economy is in decline as a huge segment of the population is unemployed. Meanwhile, the United States leads the world in deaths and COVID-19 cases. Florida has recorded more than 50,000 cases and more than 2,000 deaths from the new coronavirus, according to the Florida Department of Health.

Cuenca was never a fan of the old Biden, I would not vote for it, he said in March.

However, Cuenca considered voting for the then presidential candidate, Vermont senator, Bernie Sanders, whose proposals and message to the Cuenca youth were inspiring. Sanders has since ended his campaign.

This put Cuenca squarely in the Trump camp until the socio-economic damage of the pandemic struck and became personal.

Now Cuenca finds himself divided between those he considers as two candidates whom he describes as incompetent: Biden and Trump.

In her history lesson, Cuenca learned how President Franklin Delano Roosevelts New Deal’s social programs helped lift the country out of the Great Depression. He said the story was in the head recently.

The Democrat is always helping the little people, the people who are, like, losing their jobs, said Cuenca. So, I think for the moment I don’t know. I think I would rather vote for Biden than Trump at this point.

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