Maria Salazar’s Chances in Florida As Trump Posts Slew of Criticism - Newsweek

President Trump appears to have turned on Florida House Republican Maria Salazar, sharing 13 X posts critical of her on his Truth Social website, including calls for her to be primaried and replaced by another Republican.

It came after Salazar released a campaign ad last week, filmed outside the White House, in which she said: “Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far.”

Trump’s posts demonstrate his fury over Salazar’s comments and come despite a sharp tightening in polls between her and Democratic challenger Eliott Rodriguez in the battle for Florida’s 27th congressional district in November. If Democrats succeed in flipping the House, it would significantly restrain Trump’s freedom to pass legislation in his final two years.

Newsweek contacted Representative Salazar for comment via email on Sunday outside of regular office hours.

On Saturday, Trump shared a Washington Post article about Salazar’s criticism of him, titled: “A Miami Republican faces backlash after publicly giving Trump immigration advice.”

It quoted a number of local Florida Republicans who criticized her move and a former GOP strategist who said it had backfired.

The president went on to share screenshots of 13 X posts, which appeared to be from members of the public, criticizing Salazar.

In one post shared by Trump, an X user called John Hodnett commented: “She tried a stunt and it back fired!”

James Vinson, another X user, branded Salazar a “back stabber” in a post shared by Trump while Juan Pablo said: “Trump must remove his endorsement of her.”

Trump also shared screenshots of two X posts from anonymous users, one of which said “So we need a NEW Republican to Replace Salazar” while the second read “Primary her in two years and see how she likes to keep criticizing Trump then.”

The controversy began when Salazar, the child of Cuban exiles, released a campaign ad filmed outside the White House on September 17.

In the video, Salazar said: “Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50 percent of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisers are telling you about immigration policy.

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

During a subsequent appearance on CBS News’ Face The Nation, Salazar said she had communicated the same message to Trump in person, commenting: “No other president was able to convince the Hispanics to vote 55 points for a GOP president. Please preserve that fortune that you have brought to the party.”

The odds-on Salazar beating Rodriguez to retain her seat in November have deteriorated dramatically according to Polymarket and Kalshi, two leading online financial exchanges.

On September 1, Polymarket gave Salazar an 82 percent chance of victory versus just 16 percent for Rodriguez. However, as of Sunday, her odds of victory had fallen to 64 percent, while Rodriguez had seen his rise to 37 percent.

Over the same period, Salazar’s odds of victory fell from 78 percent to 64 percent with Kalshi, while Rodriguez’s chances increased from 22 percent to 37 percent.

A poll of 600 likely voters, sponsored by the Democratic supporting House Majority PAC, was conducted by Tulchin Research between September 8 and 13. It gave Salazar a lead of one percentage point, with the Republican on 47 percent versus 46 percent for Rodriguez.

Separately, a Bendixen & Amandi International poll of 600 likely voters, sponsored by the Rodriguez campaign, have the two candidates tied on 45 percent each. This was conducted over August 25 to 30.

Salazar won the GOP primary in August to be reselected as her party’s candidate for Florida’s 27th congressional district and Trump cannot simply substitute for her another Republican. However, if Salazar seeks re-election again in 2028, he could potentially support a primary opponent.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Cristina Diciu.