Latino voters may be the biggest story in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election, with a significant swing that helped carry Donald Trump back to the White House.
Some in the Castle Hill neighborhood of the Bronx said Wednesday that his visit to a local barbershop weeks before Election Day had an impact on voters, especially Latino men.
Barbers and customers at Knockout Barbershop recounted the high-profile campaign stop in mid-October, calling it a pivotal moment in the presidential race.
"We haven’t seen no Democrats come to my shop, but Donald Trump did show up, decided to accept my invitation. We had Democrats and Republicans asking him questions," said Javiel Rodriguez.
Rodriguez's son, who owns the barbershop, said he thinks he "had a slight impact" on on the better-than-anticipated returns for Trump in the deep blue Bronx. The 33-year-old and his father said the surprise visit may have had an influence on some voters minds in the Bronx — his father included.
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"A lot of people changed their minds. All those Democrat people, they switched. I am Democrat, I switched too," said Rodriguez.
David Miranda, a customer at the barbershop, agreed with that notion, saying he too switched from voting Democrat to voting Republican for this election.
"Trump is a very good businessman," Luis Alfredo, who works at the barbershop, told NBC New York in Spanish.
Those who were present during Trump’s visit said they appreciated his straight-talk and his message on issues such as the economy, security and the migrant crisis.
"You ask him some question and he answers you right away, there’s no doubt about what’s he’s saying," said Rodriguez.
"I definitely want the economy to get better. With migrants here causing havoc, they should not be here," said Javiel Rodriguez Jr.
Trump's message resonated with Latino voters across the nation. In 2020, Biden blew out Trump by 33 points in that demographic, winning 65% to 32%; in 2024, Trump closed the gap to just eight points, getting 45% of the Latino vote to Kamala Harris' 53%.
It was the strongest GOP performance among Latinos in a presidential election since George W. Bush carried 44% in 2004.
The seismic nationwide shift was echoed in the Bronx. Biden dominated in the borough, earning 68% of the vote when he ran for president. And while Harris still had a decisive win over Trump in the Bronx, President-elect Trump improved by 22 points there.
Rodriguez Jr. and his customers said they did not like the comments made about Puerto Rico by a speaker at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally just days before Election Day, but they added that it did not have an effect on their decision.
"Put out a bad joke, it was bad material. Aside from that, I had to vote logically, not emotionally," Rodriguez Jr. said.
"Let’s clean up the mess, [the speaker] didn’t mean no harm by that," said Miranda.
