Orange County Republicans discuss Trump
Maribel Marroquin, 25, is a Mexican American college student who says she has spent thousands of hours knocking on doors trying to register Latinos to become part of the GOP: “To have worked so hard and taken so many steps forward and then to have somebody like Trump with his comments come in, it just sets us back a lot.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Voters in Orange County, where Republicans are trying to rebuild their dominance by appealing to Latino and Asian American voters, discuss the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump.
Thai Pham To, 72, a retired plumber from Santa Ana, says everyone in his family plans to vote for Trump: “He speaks from the heart. [Opponents are] attacking him because he is bold and open about his observations.” To said it was refreshing that Trump targets immigrants who “are lazy and do nothing. Some people come to the United States and they see a rich government. The government supplies everything. Healthcare. Housing. It’s not fair to take advantage of. Look at me. I work 40 years in America. I pay the tax. I have never taken government handouts. I’m proud to be a citizen and Mr. Trump wants other people to work hard and be proud too.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Thuy Tran, 50, is a former middle-school teacher from Westminster who now works as a legal assistant: Trump “has the mind of a billionaire. All they think about is how to bring money into the country and that’s just what we need.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Michael Vo, a Fountain Valley city councilman and owner of Little Saigon Traffic School, says he’s been a Republican since 1985 but hasn’t decided who he will back in November: “To win my vote, a president should not only think about America, but how American policy affects the whole world. This is the immigrant viewpoint. We think globally.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Michael Tran, 40, is a loan officer from Westminster: Trump “tells the truth. He isn’t afraid to talk what Americans call politically incorrect talk ... I personally don’t like Donald -- he’s a scam artist -- but the way the economy is right now, stagnant, we need a billionaire who knows how to make money. If I were doing so well, I would stick with Hillary, but money is the most important. I’m voting for him just out of frustration.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Tu Diep, 46, is a nail technician from Westminster: Outside the bustling Asian Garden Mall in Little Saigon: “I wouldn’t know what to do with Mr. Trump because right now, we like Obama more because he has done so much to help the poor. I prefer the status quo.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)