Latino Business Owner’s Open Support for Trump and New Jersey Candidate Sparks Fierce Backlash
A modest New Jersey restaurant owner endorsed Donald Trump and his gubernatorial candidate, Jack Ciattarelli, sparking a heated controversy. His choice sparked social media outcry and prompted questions about political identification, community togetherness, and free expression in the current polarized political context.
The Dominican-American businessman who owns a popular Passaic County restaurant explained why he supports Trump and Ciattarelli in a brief conversation. He supported law-enforcement initiatives and believed order is essential to communal stability. However, a local journalist’s Instagram video of him speaking sparked criticism. His community criticized him for forsaking his ethnicity and called for restaurant boycotts.
The owner said he got threatening comments about his children and business after the social media tempest. One longtime client said he would no longer dine there, saying it was about human decency and solidarity with a targeted community, not politics. That person stated this was a devastating breach in a decades-long connection of Sunday restaurant visits with his father.
The owner openly apologised for how things escalated and said the interview did not convey his complete thoughts. He said his goal was to debate high costs of living and economic stress, not promote a candidate, and that he would support comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes hardworking immigrants. He also apologised to anybody affected, saying he did not mean to injure anyone and did not expect such a harsh online reaction.
Some experts argue this indicates a larger Latino-American conflict between conventional party support and conservative law-and-order appeal. One community member noted that some Dominican-Americans admire “strong-man” leadership, rooted in dictatorships back home, which can lead to support for decisive, even controversial politicians.
The restaurant owner’s endorsement matters for the campaign. Showing business leaders and immigrants publicly supporting Ciattarelli’s campaign gives him symbolic leverage as he seeks Hispanic votes in critical counties. The response risks alienating the group the campaign is aiming to gain if public endorsements become flashpoints.
In a time when every local business owner’s comment may be amplified globally, social media turns small-town decisions into high-stakes public controversies. The restaurant owner must recover neighborhood trust, restore family peace following threats and public shame, and clarify his brand after personal views became political lightning rods.
What occurs next may reveal how Latino voters participate with modern American politics—how identity, economic considerations, and cultural heritage impact choices that surprise outsiders. The owner said he wanted a better future for immigration and system justice, but the reaction illustrates how much Latino views are expected in public.
