Newswave
Mar 11, 2026

Crockett Forced to Defend ‘Slave Mentality’ Remarks About Latinos

Jasmine Crockett Faces Questions Over Past Remarks as Senate Bid Begins

U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who recently announced her intention to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the upcoming U.S. Senate race, found herself defending controversial remarks she made previously about Latino voters who supported former President Donald Trump during the 2024 election.

The issue resurfaced during a televised segment when CNN host Jake Tapper pressed Crockett about comments she made in a 2023 interview with Vanity Fair. In that interview, Crockett suggested that some Latino voters who backed Trump demonstrated what she described as a “slave mentality.”

During the exchange, Tapper referenced the large number of Latino voters in Texas who supported Trump.

“Now, about the time that interview was published last year, roughly one million Latino voters in Texas were voting for Trump,” Tapper said. “Do they all have a slave mentality?”

Crockett pushed back against that interpretation.

“No, and that’s not what I said at all,” she replied. “It did not say that every Latino has that type of mentality.”

Tapper clarified that he was referring specifically to those Latino voters who supported Trump’s immigration policies.

Crockett responded that she believed many voters misunderstood what Trump’s policies would actually entail.

“I don’t believe that the people who voted for Trump fully believe in what they’re actually getting,” Crockett said. “What Trump said is that he was going to kick out the bad guys. And that’s what I was referring to.”

Trump’s campaign messaging on immigration included pledges to deport serious criminal offenders in the country illegally, but he also promoted broader plans for “mass deportation,” a policy stance that nevertheless attracted significant support from Hispanic voters nationwide.

Crockett also pointed to her own experience campaigning in South Texas, saying she had spent time speaking directly with voters in the region while working as a surrogate during Beto O'Rourke’s gubernatorial campaign.

“I’ve been to the border and spent time campaigning in South Texas,” Crockett explained. “I asked people why they believed Republicans could win Latino voters there.”

She said many voters told her they felt they had worked hard to follow legal immigration processes and believed some newcomers were bypassing those efforts.

“They were saying they fought and did everything the right way,” Crockett said, describing conversations with voters during the campaign.

Financial Questions Also Surface

The controversy surrounding Crockett’s past remarks comes as another issue has drawn attention in recent days.

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