Labor activist Dolores Huerta says Trump "does not know history"

Longtime labour activistic Dolores Huerta says President Trump's disparaging remarks astir Mexicans amusement helium "does not cognize history," and called connected Latinos successful California, Texas and different states to propulsion for alteration successful the November elections.

"I conscionable privation to accidental that this is our moment," the 96-year-old told CBS News. 

She recalled the beginning of Mr. Trump's archetypal statesmanlike campaign: "You know, the archetypal happening erstwhile [the president] came down that escalator, helium attacked Mexicans. … He does not cognize history. He does not cognize that Texas was erstwhile portion of Mexico."  

Mr. Trump said successful his 2015 run motorboat code that Mexico was "not sending their best" to the United States, alleging: "They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists. And some, I assume, are bully people."

Huerta has been active successful authorities and civilian rights activism since the 1960s, erstwhile she and Cesar Chavez co-founded the radical that aboriginal became the United Farm Workers. She is known for popularizing the Spanish-language slogan "si, se puede," which has been wide adopted by governmental and labour movements implicit the decades, including successful 2008, erstwhile Barack Obama's run utilized its English translation: "Yes, we can." Earlier this year, Huerta drew attraction for becoming the latest person to impeach Chavez of intersexual misconduct.

Huerta, who spoke astatine the Texas Democratic Convention implicit the weekend, was enthusiastic astir Democrats' uphill conflict to triumph their archetypal statewide races successful the Lone Star State successful decades. State Reps. James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa are the party's nominees for legislator and governor, respectively, taking connected Republican candidates Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott. 

A New York Times / Siena College poll released Tuesday had Talarico and Paxton tied astatine 47% each, portion Abbott, a three-term incumbent, was starring by azygous digits implicit Hinojosa. Talarico had the enactment of 61% of Texas Hispanics, a important voting radical that went to Mr. Trump by a 55% margin successful the 2024 statesmanlike contention successful the state.

Republicans person sought to cast Talarico arsenic excessively acold to the near for Texas, highlighting his past statements connected sex and different issues. Huerta told CBS News that she thought the "attacks" that Republicans person lobbed against Talarico are "ridiculous."

Pointing to the powerfulness of Latino electorate, Huerta noted that some Hinojosa and the Democratic nominee for politician of California, Xavier Becerra, are Hispanic. Becerra is favored to triumph successful heavy Democratic California.

"So, if it tin hap successful California, it tin hap successful Texas," she added.

California's electorate is acold bluer than that of Texas. But Hinojosa noted successful an interrogation with CBS News that 2018 Texas Democratic Senate campaigner Beto O'Rourke received 64% of the Latino vote, according to exit polling, helping him travel wrong 2.6 points of unseating GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. "When I get 64% of the Latino ballot successful 2026 I win," Hinojosa argued.

"People privation change," Hinojosa said. "What is happening successful Texas is determination is this anti-incumbency energy."

"The billionaires who ain the societal media algorithms, who ain the cablegram quality networks, who ain the politicians warring connected our screens, they are turning neighbour against neighbor, weakening that tone of relationship that makes Texas truthful great, they disagreement america by party, by race, by gender, by religion, truthful we don't announcement that they're picking our pockets," Talarico said astatine the convention. "It is the oldest strategy successful the world: disagreement and conquer, but Texas volition not beryllium conquered astatine a clip erstwhile these billionaires are dividing america into antithetic tribes." 

Anne Bryson contributed to this report.