Mike Madrid sits down with one of the most respected voices in Latino research—Dr. Mark Hugo Lopez, Director of Race and Ethnicity at the Pew Research Center—to unpack a brand-new, blockbuster dataset on Latino attitudes on the second Trump administration and their situation in the country.

Pew’s October survey of almost 5,000 Latino adults reveals something unprecedented: 65% of Latinos now say the situation for Latinos in the U.S. is worse than a year ago—the highest level of pessimism ever recorded in Pew’s history. Dr. Lopez explains how Latino sentiment has shifted dramatically between the 2024 and 2025 elections, with approval ratings, concerns about immigration enforcement, and feelings about economic policies all showing significant changes.

Key topics include:

Why one-third of Latinos have considered leaving the United States in the past six months
How worry about deportation has jumped from 37% to over 52% since February
The paradox of personal financial optimism amid broader pessimism about Latino progress
What validated voter data reveals about Latino Trump voters and their evolving views
The decline in Latino immigration for the first time in 50 years and what it means for future generations

Dr. Lopez brings decades of expertise tracking the political maturation of the Latino electorate through one of America's most profound demographic transformations. He provides essential context for understanding the dramatic electoral swings we've witnessed and what they signal about Latino political identity in an increasingly US-born, intermarried, and established community.

Recorded December 4, 2025.

🎙️ Featuring: Dr. Mark Hugo Lopez - Director of Race and Ethnicity at the Pew Research Center: (https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/mark-hugo-lopez/)

Check out Pew Research's report: 'Majorities of Latinos Disapprove of Trump and His Policies on Immigration, Economy': (https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2025/11/24/majorities-of-latinos-disapprove-of-trump-and-his-policies-on-immigration-economy/)

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