Russell Contreras (Senior Reporter at Axios)
Appearances
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
It's also warning signs to Democrats. They can't be doing what they used to do. Get out the vote, get the Latinos vote, and they're going to vote for us anyway. They're going to have to engage. And when they engage, they're going to have to hear some things they may not like about their platform.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
Some groups are aligned with Republican parties, right-leaning groups, and they can get voting lists. So they can say, okay, let's go to this neighborhood where people have around this income, and let's go to those Latinos or these Spanish surnames who are politically unaffiliated, they refuse to state. Those are ripe for picking.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
And we also see them when the denominations. So where you see a large growth among evangelicals, it's among the Assembly of God, Pentecostals. Yeah, that's right. Baptists, right? Even the LDS. They're going toward these charismatic Christian groups. And I would also say one thing that really is drawing them is when Latinos get older, they get married, and they want to stay in the Catholic Church.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
They have to go through all the processes that we all did. Baptizing children, bringing up documents. Yeah.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
Evangelicals offer a one-step shop saying, no, just jump into this pool and be baptized and have a born-again experience where everybody's cheering you on.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
Yeah, you can go in front of these charismatic churches and testify and tell the whole congregation your struggles. Oh, yeah. And why are you coming to God? Why have you found Jesus? I've crossed the border. I've done this. I've struggled with addiction and now I'm here. And you can lay it all out there. Don't feel you're being judged.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
There's a powerful response where people are saying, amen, keep going. We got your back. It's a very powerful experience if you feel alienated, if you feel marginalized, and then you go into a storefront where everybody is holding you up and saying you're doing the right thing. It's a very powerful experience that can transcend generations.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
You may have heard Jesus as this humble carpenter who is with the poor, and that's what the text says. All of a sudden he's transformed into Jesus can be a self-help guru where he can give you financial tips. You know, the prosperity gospel, Jesus has turned into a crypto bro. He can give you stock tips in certain cases. That's a very American thing.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
And what you see in these evangelical spaces, especially with Latinos, they're adopting it. I have to say there's a split too. Most of what we've been talking about are the majority of what we see. The Spanish language ones, the marginal ones, there's also this growing movement of pushing back where they actually say, no, Jesus was poor. You are actually the same thing.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
You were experiencing the same thing he did. He had to flee and go to Egypt when he was a baby. He was poor. He struggled. And they didn't believe him, and they persecuted him. You are exactly this person. You're facing deportation. You share experience. I want to say this also. I saw this in Brazil and New England, that they're saying, no, you are being marginalized. You are being disrespected.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
The kingdom of heaven is yours, but this is what you have to go through. Do not think that all this persecution is in vain. There's something else waiting for you.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
Yeah. Some groups are aligned with Republican parties, right-leaning groups, and they can get voting lists so they can say, okay, let's go to this neighborhood and, where people have around this income. And let's go to those Latinos or these Spanish surnames who are politically unaffiliated. They refuse to state. Those are ripe for picking. So they'll go.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
And I've got to say, as a journalist, I do not register for any political party, to be fair. But because I'm in a certain neighborhood and I'm not, I'm a politically independent, my door is constantly getting knocks from various churches. Hey, We noticed that, you know, you're not a member of our church. Are you a member of any church? They want to have those conversations.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
During COVID, I was getting calls, you know, saying, are you okay, Russ? And I was like, at first, I'm like, wow, somebody's caring about me. Oh, no, we're just around the neighborhood. We know you, and this is that. If you've gone through a hard time, if you're vulnerable, you are very much going to respond to that message like, wow, these people really care for me.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
I want to get more of that juice. I like the way that tastes. Where can I go to get more of this? Glad you asked. We're having a service on Sundays and Wednesdays. Why don't you come down and bring your wife? Little things like that. It's a combination of mark or targeting, an old-fashioned word of mouth. That mark or targeting, to me, I think is very efficient and has been very successful.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
But you buy this stuff online. There's data companies who can sell you this stuff. And this is what corporations do. So they'll know... your name.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
They're in the market for souls. Your soul is a consumer. They need that to fulfill their bottom line. That data is oil. They need that information.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
You've also had a movement in Latin America and the United States where evangelical charismatic Christians has been very aggressive in the community in recruiting new members.
It's Been a Minute
How Latinos found Evangelicalism and Trump
And in that space, they're also saying or believing that they're not talking about me. I think we've lumped all the Latino groups into one and call them Latinos and just dismiss their various experiences that you just showed and suggested. that there are divisions. So a lot of times when this rhetoric comes out, it plays right into our own prejudices.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
Well, there is a playbook that was created by the Heritage Foundation called Project Esther. Many listeners may remember the Heritage Foundation for their Project 2025. Yes. And so Project Esther could be seen as an addendum.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
It's a blueprint for the administration. It was released around October of last year, before the election, not a lot of press. It calls for an administration to rebrand pro-Palestinian protesters as Hamas supporters.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
It also calls for the administration to go after any funders, nonprofits, progressive-leaning groups who are supporting protesters.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
Project Esther lays out a plan for administration to implement that, and that's what happened when the Trump administration came in. The plan was right there.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
It looks like it was a coalition of Heritage Foundation authors. The document clearly states that we're doing this because we have concluded there's been Jewish complacency. That means Jewish American groups, American Jews have not done enough to fight anti-Semitism.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
So therefore, this is going to be a larger effort, and it does not need to be Jewish-led. Who is the we? That's the clear. It doesn't look like it had a lot of Jewish American input. It looks like this we is a lot of Christians, white Christians, conservative Christians. They've taken a step to say, look, we're concerned about anti-Semitism. This is not just a Jewish fight. This is our fight too.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
And we feel we have to speak out against anti-Semitism. Here's our plan.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
Well, it goes to the worldview of Christian conservatives. If you've ever been to an evangelical church, I grew up in Houston, Texas, so I know this very well. The idea of Israel is very central to their being. A lot of white Christians believe there needs to be a strong Israel for the second coming of Christ.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
On the other side, you've got conservative-led governments in Israel that have made coalitions with conservative Christians in the United States because they see them as important allies for a lot of their fights as they go into this Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So there's always been a relationship.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
When the prime minister comes to the United States, he'll often visit with white Christian groups who are very supportive. There are trips, visits. So when they see protests on college campuses by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, they see this as antithetical to the worldview and they must speak out.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
Project Esther believes there has not been enough evidence.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
efforts to fight anti-semitism and there needs to be attacked on multiple fronts it then says it is the objective for the administration or anybody who would take this project to rebrand pro-palestinian protesters as part of the quote hamas support network it then outlines some things to say this is needed these steps are needed to put colleges back in their place and
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
and address students who are harassing Jewish students. They believe, in their view, that pro-Palestinian demonstrations are a threat in general to Jewish students, that they make Jewish students uncomfortable. Now, to be very clear, in my reporting, there have been many cases of Jewish students feeling uncomfortable at these protests. There have been many anti-Semitic things said to students.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
But this takes it a step further that suggests that all protests are likely anti-Semitic and all protests need to be dealt with accordingly.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
No, it doesn't seem to be a real organization. It seems to be how they're portraying it. Those who are part of the student protests say this is outrageous. This is a grassroots effort. These are students who are protesting, who believe they see an injustice. It has nothing to do with a network. This is a group of students and activists who are speaking out
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
So they didn't actually say whether they took cues from Project Esther. What they said is, well, it's always been a core principle. It just so happens those core principles can be found in Project Esther.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
about the images they see going on in the Middle East and want to say something and do something. Does it say anything about right-leaning antisemitism? It almost says nothing about right-leaning antisemitism. It mentions social media posts, but says nothing about Elon Musk or, say, right-wing influencers paddling antisemitic theories. It says nothing about white replacement theory.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
This is, of course, a theory promoted by antisemites, but goes a step further to say, Jewish people and people of color are conspiring to take white people out of positions of power. That theory has anti-Semitic roots. It says nothing that it's solely an attack on the left.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
Well, when this project came out, there was a lot of suspicion from Jewish groups, even those in Israel, saying, look, wait a minute, we appreciate the fighting of anti-Semitism, but yet any kind of task force should have more Jewish voices and possibly it should be Jewish-led. The group The Nexus Project gave an alternative view to how to fight anti-Semitism, almost a response to Project Esther.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
They believe that universities should not clamp down on free speech. They should not go after those on student visas or those with green card holders, but that they should tackle legitimate concerns about anti-Semitism head on. That means saying things that are clearly anti-Semitic, doing things that are clearly discriminating against Jewish students, and take proactive measures for that.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
They do not believe that any attack on free speech is the right answer, and in fact could hurt Jewish students. So there is a division. On the other side, There is one group called Combat Anti-Semitism Movement, which in many ways is endorsing the Project Esther campaign.
Today, Explained
Project 2025’s next chapter
In fact, one of their directors and the group's interfaith outreach engagement director said, look, we support the Trump administration's deportation of those students who are on foreign visas or on visas who are speaking out these protests. We endorse it. And in fact, we endorse a lot of the ideas.