Trump says he still backs Salazar after video criticizing him on immigration

President Trump said he still supports Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) but disagrees with her on immigration one day after her campaign rolled out an ad criticizing the president on the policy issue.

“She obviously doesn’t have a very strong feeling about the border. I do,” Trump told reporters when asked about the video in the Oval Office on Friday.

“I’m very strong on the borders, and she isn’t. And she’s a nice person. I got her elected. Without me, she wouldn’t have gotten elected,” he continued.

Salazar’s campaign released an ad Thursday accusing the administration of going “too far” on federal immigration enforcement operations.

“The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today,” Salazar, who’s running for reelection in November, said in the clip.

“You can be for immigration what Lincoln was for slavery and Reagan was for communism,” the Republican continued. “I’m not talking about giving them amnesty. I’m talking about giving them a dignified life in this promised land.”

The ad will run on television and online in South Florida.

Trump endorsed Salazar in a Truth Social post in February, praising her “Wisdom and Courage” in confronting “the Corrupt Fake News.”

Salazar is running against Democratic candidate Eliott Rodriguez in the state’s 27th Congressional District, which she has represented since 2021. The district, which includes parts of Miami, houses one of the highest foreign-born populations of any House district in the country.