In New Mexico, Trump Fails to Enchant

One of the things "going on" in New Mexico is that a lot of people in both parties seem to be disgusted with the mouthy mogul from Manhattan.

In most places in America, the pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock aboard the Mayflower in 1620 are considered the first settlers of the New World.

But in New Mexico -- where the capital, Santa Fe, was founded in 1607 -- the world was already in full swing by the time the pilgrims came ashore. It's also surrounded by a handful of other Southwestern states -- Arizona, Texas, Utah, Colorado -- that were, like New Mexico, once part of old Mexico.

So it's not surprising that the immigration debate takes a different form in New Mexico than it does in other states. In the South, Midwest or Northeast, when discussing illegal immigration, the narrative is about an unabated flow of unlawful intruders who trample our borders at will and sometimes compound the insult by committing crimes when they get here. But in New Mexico and the rest of the Southwest, you'll find plenty of people who think the real danger in this debate are those people who divide the population, stoke racial hatred and turn immigrants into scapegoats for all of society's problems.

As we have learned over the last year, Trump is the constant critic who doesn't take criticism well. He responded to Martinez's snub by accusing her of "not doing the job" and blaming her for the state's economic woes.

Is this the kinder and gentler Trump who many commentators predicted would appear as the billionaire gets ready for the general election? Is attacking, in such personal terms, the only Latina governor in the country part of Trump's strategy for winning Latino support?

Amid all this acrimony, it's mind-boggling to think that some political observers keep suggesting the governor might make a good running mate for Trump.

Wouldn't the fact that Martinez is obviously repulsed by the creep, and refuses to be seen with him, present a slight logistical challenge?

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.