Republicans Are Running Ads Against Trump

A Republican congresswoman from a district Donald Trump won by 15 points has released an ad directly attacking the president's immigration enforcement. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Florida Republican, stands in front of the White House and tells Trump that "some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far" and that "the same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today." The ad is a striking break from party discipline and signals something unusual: Republican incumbents are publicly distancing themselves from a president of their own party.

The Salazar Ad as a Warning Sign

Dan Pfeiffer and Disu Demisi see the Salazar ad as a canary in the coal mine for Trump's standing, particularly with Latino voters. Salazar's district in Miami-Dade County is heavily Latino, and Trump carried it by double digits in 2024. For a Republican in that kind of district to directly tell the president he is "screwing up" suggests the political environment has shifted dramatically.