Trump, Biden deliver competing pre-debate messages to Hispanics on Telemundo

Noticias Telemundo is set to air competing messages from President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the final presidential debate on Thursday, with both candidates laying out their final pitch to Hispanic voters.

The prerecorded messages offer a stark contrast in style and substance from the first line.

“I think nobody has done more for Hispanic Americans and the Hispanic community than I have as president,” says Trump in the opening of his message.

“Hello everyone, it’s Joe Biden,” Biden begins his message. “As a man of faith and family, I’m running for president to restore the soul of this country.”

The competing messages were provided by the campaigns to Noticias Telemundo, who asked the candidates to explain why Latino voters should vote for each of them.

Both messages are scheduled to air as part of the network’s pre-debate coverage.

Trump’s message centers on the pre-pandemic economy and the record employment numbers posted before the shutdown.

“And if you look, prior to the plague coming in from China, prior to the, as I call it, the China virus, we had the best Hispanic American numbers anywhere and anytime, anywhere in the world. But our best. The best numbers that we’ve ever had. Homeownership was at a record. Everything they had was at a record,” says Trump.

Trump touts coronavirus relief packages, which he described as providing “tremendous amounts of money to small businesses and small businesses owned by and operated by Hispanic Americans.”

“And now they’re starting to see it. And we’re going to have a tremendous recovery. We’re gonna have a tremendous year,” says Trump.

Biden’s message focuses on the Democrat’s scientific approach to combating the coronavirus, and a broad message of equality.

“I’m gonna start by listening to the experts to get this pandemic under control so we can finally get our economy back on track,” says Biden.

And the former vice president’s economic message focuses on the economic disparities that have historically plagued minority communities, including Hispanics.

“You know as president, I’m going to invest in building our country back better than it was before. This time bringing everybody along, creating good-paying jobs for Latinos, helping Latino small-business owners access capital they need,” said Biden.

Both candidates take potshots at each other, with Biden attacking Trump’s approach to the pandemic, and Trump attacking Biden’s overall record in public life.

“Eight months in, Donald Trump still doesn’t have a real plan to address the virus that’s devastating Latino families and businesses,” says Biden.

“Joe Biden has done a very, very poor job for the Hispanic Americans or the Hispanic community. He’s done a terrible job. For 47 years, he’s actually done nothing,” says Trump.

Trump and Biden both mention Cuba and Venezuela in their addresses — both campaigns have sought to win over Florida Hispanic voters by drawing parallels between their opponents and dictatorial regimes in Latin America.

Trump touts receiving the “Bay of Pigs award,” from the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association and references his Florida home where “we have the Venezuelan community surrounding a certain area that I spend a lot of time in.”

Trump has often referred to the Bay of Pigs award, sparking a debate over whether such an award actually exists — he was endorsed by the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association in 2016 and presented a plaque, which at the time was not labeled an award.

In a press release in 2020, the association referred to the plaque as a “recognition award.”

The group again endorsed Trump for the 2020 election in a White House ceremony in September.

In his Telemundo message, Biden is critical of Trump for continuing deportations of Cubans and Venezuelans, despite the ongoing human rights abuses in those countries.

“Donald Trump is deporting thousands of Cubans and Venezuelans back to dictatorial regimes. I’ll end that. And I’ll grant temporary protected status for Venezuelans,” says Biden.

Unlike Trump, Biden mentions Puerto Rico, vowing to “make sure Puerto Ricans aren’t treated as second-class citizens.”

And Biden touches on immigration, a centerpiece of Trump’s 2016 campaign that has faded from the president’s 2020 rhetoric as Republicans attempt to woo Hispanic voters.

“I want to keep families together, protect Dreamers, restore our values to our immigration system,” says Biden.

Trump instead closes with the core pitch of his 2020 campaign.

“One other thing: Law and order,” Trump says. “Hispanic community in this country wants law and order, they want protection, they want safety, they want to have that great, safe feeling. And we provided that.”

“There has never been in our history, a president that has done more for you or even close than I’ve done. So, get out and vote. And on Nov. 3, let’s really show them what it’s all about,” adds Trump.

Biden’s message closes referencing education, a top issue for Hispanics, nearly 40 percent of whom are 21 years old or younger, according to the Pew Research Center.

“You make up 20 percent of the nation’s population,” says Biden.

“24 out of 100 kids in school are Latino. You are our future. We need you. And I’m with you,” he adds.