The largest Spanish-language TV network, Univision, has never been friendly to Republicans and, at times, has been downright hostile and condescending. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Donald Trump referred to Univision as “a leftist propaganda machine and a mouthpiece of the Democrat Party.”

But in 2021, Univision merged with the Mexican media company Grupo Televisa. Grupo is known to have fostered close relationships with Mexican politicians. 

Last week, Trump hosted three Univision senior executives at Mar-a-Lago during an hour-long interview that the Washington Post says, was "notable for its gracious tone." That's a long way from 2015, when Univision anchor Jorge Ramos was booted from a Trump press conference.

An hour-long election-year program on a news channel is a gift not offered to Joe Biden. In fact, Univision took several steps relating to the Biden campaign after which Democrats began to panic.

The Biden campaign is preparing a massive Spanish-language ad buy tagging Trump as hostile to Hispanic interests. It was set to begin during the Trump Univision interview in several cities.

But Univision shocked the Biden campaign and Democrats when they nixed the spots.

Washington Post:

There's no doubt that the Hispanic vote is up for grabs this election. Whether this will be a breakthrough election for Republicans and Hispanics remains to be seen.

“The new ownership is essentially co-opting and kidnapping the soul and mission of what Univision has been up to now, and they are serving it up on a silver platter to Donald Trump,” said Maria Cardona, a political consultant and member of the Democratic National Committee. “It is going to mask the pernicious and dangerous politics that Donald Trump is going to implement if he becomes president again.”

If the "soul and mission" of Univision was to boost Democratic candidates and savage Republicans, then Ms. Cardona would be right. But reality, like karma, is a b**ch. The reality is that as Hispanic immigrants settle into life in the United States, more and more of them realize that the Democrats don't care a fig about their desires, their hopes, and their dreams. The Democrats aren't interested in helping them start a business or work in a vibrant economy that benefits everyone. 

Democrats simply demand fealty and then dole out electoral scraps in return.

That's not enough anymore. And more and more Hispanic voters, especially second and third-generation Hispanics, are following the path of every other immigrant group. The Germans, the Irish, the Italians, the Slavs, and all the rest, in turn, moved away from immigrant politics to the politics of America.

Donald Trump is tapping into that rich vein of longing among Hispanics. It's a longing to participate, to belong, and to share in the wealth of the nation. 

Trump is doing this by dividing Hispanics; immigrants, illegal and otherwise, against those who've been here for generations. It's a risky strategy but if it's successful, Trump is likely to be the once and future president.

In Chicago, this divide is more pronounced than in many places as the arrival of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants, most of them Hispanic, has turned the city's politics upside down.

“The migrants want everything in a dish ready to eat,” said Ruth Diza, a Mexican-American immigrant who's been in the country for 33 years. “Why do they get off so easy?”

Diaz told the Chicago Tribune that "she owned a grocery store and worked hard to send her daughter to nursing school." "Protect our community" read the sign in Spanish she was holding.

Mrs. Diaz is objecting to the city's plan to house 2,000 migrants in two large winterized tents in a parking lot in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Related: Surprise: Not all Chicagoans Are Thrilled With Sanctuary City Status 

It's hard to see how Biden regains the momentum with Hispanics he's lost due to inattention. By taking the votes of millions of people for granted, Biden may very well have blown his re-election.