Neither President Biden nor former President Donald Trump decided to speak at this year’s convention of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

As it does every election year, NALEO invited both major party candidates to the event, which ran this week in Las Vegas.

Arturo Vargas, the group’s CEO, said the snubs were “an affront” to Hispanic leaders.

“With less than six months to go before the presidential election, where Latinos are poised to play a decisive role in contests across the country, we are disappointed that both presumptive presidential nominees decided to pass on the opportunity to speak at the largest gathering of Latino elected and appointed officials in the nation,” he said.

NALEO has been a frequent stop for presidential candidates over the decades.

Mr. Biden addressed the 2020 convention, which was held online because of the pandemic.

Barack Obama spoke to NALEO in his two White House runs, in 2008 and 2012.

The late Sen. John McCain spoke to NALEO in 2008 during his presidential run, and four years later the next GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, also spoke to the group.

Hillary Clinton didn’t attend in 2016 but did address NALEO in 2015 as she battled for the Democratic presidential nomination.

This year’s NALEO convention was a joint affair with another group of Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders. Mr. Vargas said that makes the candidates’ decisions a “double misstep.”

“Both candidates are committing an unforced error by squandering a unique opportunity to reach and engage with two of the fastest-growing communities in the United States,” he said.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.