Key facts
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar criticized the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
- Salazar stated the administration had "gone too far" with its immigration enforcement.
- President Donald Trump said he disagreed with Salazar's position.
- Trump said he "understands" Salazar's position.
- Trump claimed he helped Salazar get elected.
President Donald Trump lightly pushed back Friday against Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, who broke with his administration over its sweeping immigration crackdown. Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he saw a video in which Salazar accused the administration of having “gone too far” with its immigration enforcement. The video, filmed in front of the White House, represented a notable criticism of the president by a member of his own party ahead of the midterms.
Trump, who endorsed Salazar for reelection, said that he disagreed with the three-term representative but added that he “understands” her position. “She got a little bit soft on the border. I understand that. I understand that. But I just don’t happen to be there,” he said, insisting that support for his anti-immigration policies remained strong.
Salazar, who is running in Florida’s 27th Congressional District against Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez, has been vocal for months about deportations affecting her constituents in Miami-Dade County. The break from the president is striking given that she won reelection by about 20 percentage points in 2024, and is a sign that Miamians, about 70% of whom are Hispanic, are upset over Trump’s immigration tactics. “She’s a nice person,” Trump said. “I got her elected. Without me she wouldn’t have gotten elected.”