Trump tries to reset with Hispanic voters in New Mexico after Puerto Rico flap

The big picture: Trump has been trying to woo disenchanted Latino men and Native American voters — crucial parts of the Democratic coalition — but the effort was hurt after the New York rally.

• The Trump campaign distanced itself from a comedian's crude "joke" about Hispanics and Puerto Rico as Latino celebrities took to social media to denounce Trump and endorse Vice President Harris.
• Trump surrogates have played damage control by dismissing the crass comments as jokes as his campaign quickly organized a stop in New Mexico, a safe blue state where all statewide elected officials are Democrats.

Zoom in: Greeted by an excited audience, Trump said "this is a hell of a big camera." He then said "the fake news" would never show the size of the crowd, which was around 8,000 attendees.

• Trump vowed to stop "the massive invasion" of migrants and rising crime in New Mexico
• He called former President Barack Obama a bad unifier and a terrible person, while ridiculing Harris for calling him a fascist.
• "Let's talk turkey....first of all Hispanics love Trump...they work their asses off."
• He said Hispanics just want a fair opportunity.

The intrigue: Trump asked the crowd what term they preferred: Latino or Hispanic.

• The crowd went wild for the term "Hispanic."
• "I love the Hispanics...they are warm, sometimes too warm."
• Trump admitted that visiting New Mexico was "good for my credentials" because of the large number of Hispanic supporters he expected to see at the rally.
• Trump, again, called the U.S. "an occupied country" and promised to invoke a 1798 law for historic mass deportation and the diverse crowd cheered loudly.

Between the lines: Around 44% of eligible voters in New Mexico identify as Hispanic.

• A large portion have centuries-old ties to Mexican and Spanish colonial-era settlements. Immigrants make up less than 10% or so of the state population.
• The high rate of poverty among Mexican Americans and Native Americans makes it less of a destination for migrants since higher-paying jobs are elsewhere.

Yes, but: That did not stop Trump from erroneously suggesting that migrants were overrunning the state and stealing jobs from U.S.-born New Mexicans.

• Trump also falsely accused Harris of importing migrants from mental institutions and "the Congo."
• At times, the Mexican Americans in the Albuquerque crowd applauded loudly for Trump's attacks and sometimes yelled, "Que viva Trump!"

The Albuquerque event kicked off with two Indigenous speakers saying Trump needed to return the to White House.

• A former official from the Navajo Nation said Trump would help Indian Country be "great" for the first time.
• Yvette Herrell, a member of the Cherokee Nation who is seeking to reclaim her old U.S. House seat, told the crowd Trump "would close the border once and for all."
• She also falsely alleged that "illegals" have voted in two previous elections, repeating unfounded suggestions that she was ousted from her former seat by undocumented immigrants who voted against her.

What they saying: "Trump didn't say those horrible things. That was other people," said Elsie Lazero, 87, a member of the Nation Nation who lives on the Laguna Pueblo, a tribal village.

• Lazero, a former Democrat, said she became a strong Trump backer after becoming disillusioned with Obama.

The other side: "We've seen this playbook before—hateful and dehumanizing rhetoric that divides our communities and policies that undermine our rights," U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM).

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information about voter backgrounds in New Mexico and to include photos from the rally.