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As the number of Latino voters keeps rising in favor of opponent Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden tried to garner support from the Latino community in the battleground states of Nevada and Arizona by saying that Trump hates Latinos.

During an interview with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision on Tuesday, Biden said, "I mean, this guy despises Latinos" as he recalled Trump's frequent anti-immigrant rhetoric, such as describing migrants as "poisoning the blood of the country" and intending on mass deportations if elected.

"Latinos were essential to my win in 2020 and they'll be again essential," Biden said, stressing, "I'm working hard to earn their vote."

During his three-day swing which kicked off in Nevada, Biden launched a special campaign called "Latinos con Biden-Harris" in which he underlined issues important to the Latino community, such as abortion and immigration.

Read next: Poll shows Biden's disapproval rating hits 47%

Biden's campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez accused Trump of having an "anti-Latino agenda" while saying that "The Latino vote was critical to the president's [Biden's] victory in 2020, and 2024 will be no different."

Jill Biden says Hispanics are as “unique” as tacos and calls bodegas “bogidas.”

No wonder Hispanics are fleeing the Democratic Party! pic.twitter.com/rhBB1pSNvZ

— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) July 11, 2022

Trump has more Latino votes than Biden

In Las Vegas, Biden tried to counter claims that, Americans were living better under the Trump administration.

"As I travel the country, folks often tell me how back in 2020 they were down. They lost their business and lost faith in the system," Biden said, "But the laws we passed, the work we've done together, got them back on their feet. We have a lot more to do. For too many people that dream of having a good home, and still feels out of reach. I get it."

Back in January, a USA Today and Suffolk University poll showed that Trump now commands 39% support among Latino voters, surpassing Biden's 34%, representing a notable decline from the 65% approval Biden received in 2020.

Biden is due for Texas for fundraising events today and tomorrow. 

Many of Biden's supporters are second-generation migrants concerned by the crisis on the Mexican border, especially in the state of Arizona. 

Trump criticized the Biden administration last month for permitting the ongoing surge of migrants at the southern border, comparing the border to a "weapon of mass destruction."

"Our border has become a weapon of mass destruction — our destruction," he wrote in a series of blog posts on his Truth Social media platform.