ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Una sola cosa. Just one thing. That’s all Victor Martinez wants from listeners to his Spanish-language radio station: to tell him something positive about President Donald Trump.
The calls started pouring in. One mentioned the $5,000 payment Trump promised if Republicans retained control of Congress; Martinez thought it was so funny it made a laughing noise.
Later, a truck driver shared that there was a positive development due to high diesel prices; He was expecting to go on an unplanned vacation because he could no longer afford to fill up his truck.
Martinez has been holding his show in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley for nearly a decade; Here, Latinos have increased from one-fifth to almost one-quarter of the population in the same period. At the end of Trump’s first term, he added an hour of politics to his morning talk show, and listeners flooded his phone with concerns about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, unhappiness with inflation and concerns about Joe Biden’s age.
Now, halfway through Trump’s second term, Martinez said people are just as frustrated as they were then. They are angry about rising fuel and food prices, and Republicans may face the consequences in the midterm elections.
“It’s the economy, stupid. That’s the situation. I mean, it’s gotten so bad,” Martinez said. “People didn’t think Biden was doing a good job. Everything was expensive and now it’s even worse.”
Martinez broadcasts from a fourth-floor studio with hardwood floors and views of an old church in downtown Allentown. He runs the show’s control panel like an orchestra conductor, sitting in front of a poster of campaign signs for Democrats and Republicans.
The studio is located in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, where freshman Ryan Mackenzie faces Democratic challenger Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union official, in one of the most closely watched races in the country.
Latinos make up about a quarter of the district’s population and were a key part of Trump’s winning coalition two years ago.
Both candidates organized outreach efforts for Latinos.
Brooks calls himself “Bombero Bob” (Spanish for firefighter) and recently stopped by a Mexican restaurant and a barbershop with a Dominican flag hanging inside. Mackenzie’s campaign increased support from Latino voters and officials, and the congresswoman opened a district office staffed with Spanish-speaking staff in downtown Allentown.
Martinez is a long-time critic of the president and is backing Brooks this year. But he said his political roots are in the Republican Party. She supported candidates like Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush and opposed Biden’s decision to seek re-election because he was too old.
Martinez said he uses his show to engage people in politics at a time when some are despairing at the prospect of things getting better.
“I got a call yesterday from a guy saying he wasn’t going to vote,” Martinez said. “I understand that feeling of frustration, but doing nothing is not the solution.”
Republicans know Martinez’s program is a way to reach voters and are buying ad time to do so.
Jackie Rivera, vice chair of the Lehigh County Republicans, said the party wants to maintain the support of Latino voters Trump won two years ago, and that means engaging with them on issues like “faith and family.”
Although Trump often boasts about the economy under his leadership, Trump said his party is not making the same mistakes Democrats have made before.
“We’re not pretending that everything is great right now,” he said. “You have to be honest with them so they believe you and really trust what you say.”
Matt Tuerk, Allentown’s Democratic mayor, said this year’s election has “the same excitement” as two years ago, when Biden tried to convince people the economy was strong.
“People on the street said, ‘Yeah, but my monthly child care bill is higher and my monthly mortgage, groceries are ridiculously high,'” she said. “It’s the same story you’re hearing right now. There’s been no improvement.”
Claudia Parrales-DeLeon, a Democratic listener from Allentown, said Martinez’s program helps people who pay more for gas and groceries and face Trump’s immigration crackdown feel connected.
“I don’t know if it makes people less afraid as much as it makes them more knowledgeable,” he said.
He remembered one day listening to a particular caller’s story bring tears to his eyes.
“This gentleman was talking about how he lost his job, couldn’t find a job, didn’t even know where he was going to get his next meal for himself and his children,” he said.
Alberto Pena doesn’t listen to Martinez regularly, but his concerns are similar. For nearly two decades, Pena and his wife have run a Dominican restaurant in Allentown; here the aroma of crispy pastelillos and delicious rice fills the dining room.
She voted for Trump, hoping he would turn things around after high inflation under Biden. But they’re still “living day to day” and he’s leaning toward Brooks this year.
“This is not what we expected,” he said. “The economy has completely collapsed.”