The Trump campaign opens a new outreach office in a heavily Latino part of Pennsylvania

READING, Pa. (AP) — The pastor opened with a prayer in Spanish, asking that the Lord’s spirit and guidance direct the proceedings without offering an English translation. Most of the around 50 attendees were white and weren’t appearing to follow along, though they knew enough to sing out “Amen!” at the end.

Thus began former President Donald Trump ‘s campaign teaming up with the Republican National Committee and Pennsylvania GOP to open a “Latino Americans for Trump” office Wednesday in the town of Reading.

“We believe in the American Dream and the only way to obtain the American Dream is working hard,” Luis Fortuno, the former governor of Puerto Rico, told the same crowd. For the smaller group of Spanish speakers present, he followed with remarks that leaned heavily on the theme of “Necesitamos cambio” — Spanish for “We need change.”

Trump and top Republicans are looking to boost their support among Hispanic voters in a swing state that could well decide the election. Having shuttered many party offices that specialized in minority outreach, they are betting that promises to prioritize entrepreneurship and smaller government can resonate with a voting bloc that historically has favored Democrats.

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