Trump's beliefs often mirror Cesar Chavez's

Trump sees Mexicans as inferior -- the kind of folks who come from what the president calls a "shithole." So did Chavez, who -- as someone who was born in the United States and saw the world as an American, not a Mexican -- often referred to Mexican immigrants as "illegals" and "wetbacks."

Trump pushes populism and bashes the rich and powerful. So did Chavez, who said: "History will judge societies and governments -- and their institutions -- not by how big they are or how well they serve the rich and the powerful, but by how effectively they respond to the needs of the poor and the helpless."

Trump blames free trade for the loss of American jobs. So did Chavez, who -- if he were alive today -- would likely oppose the North American Free Trade Agreement as hurting union workers who have to compete with the productivity of workers in other countries and whose wages fall as a result.

Trump only cares about winning and doesn't seem to have any moral qualms about how to get there. Chavez was the same way, and he observed at one point: "There is no law for farm labor organizing, save the law of the jungle."

Finally, Trump has often been accused of carrying things too far and inciting violence. So was Chavez, who, despite preaching non-violence, was accused of condoning violence carried out by others. Case in point: the infamous "wet line." In the 70s, Chavez's cousin Manuel -- on behalf of the UFW -- set up a human barrier to stop Mexican immigrants from crossing the border by beating them bloody, according to reports like one in the Village Voice which accused the UFW of waging a "campaign of random terror."

As a pair of petty, self-centered, unpleasant and deeply flawed human beings, Trump and Chavez would have gotten along great.

And with that realization, the purgatory in which we Mexican-Americans now find ourselves gets a bit more uncomfortable.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.