Rita Moreno calls Trump ‘unhinged,’ urges Latinos to vote

NEW YORK – Rita Moreno said that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump “scares the hell out of me” and urged Latinos to register to vote in order to keep him out of the White House.

The award-winning singer and actress said Tuesday that it’s necessary Latinos register now as voter registration deadlines in battleground states approach.

“Never before have we had a presidential candidate as xenophobic and, my words, unhinged as Donald Trump, and never before have Latino voters have had as much power as we do now, although I think that some of us don’t know that,” said Moreno during a phone call organized by the liberal-leaning group People for the American Way.

Moreno, 84, who is one of the rare performers to win an Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy, said that Latinos need to register “so that at the very least we can keep a racist out of the White House.”

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Trump’s policies and tone on immigration have sparked passionate reactions from minority voters. His vow to build a massive wall along the Mexican border is a pillar of his agenda and he described Mexico sending rapists and criminals across the border in his announcement speech.

Moreno, who is Puerto Rican, was one of the participants of a call in which People for the American Way announced a bilingual voter registration ad campaign in states like North Carolina, Ohio, Arizona, Georgia and Virginia. Labor and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta also participated in the call.

Moreno said that she has “never seen so many Hispanic people so angry and therefore so motivated to vote.” She added: “Never have I have seen such emotion and fury. This man, obviously I am speaking of Mr. Trump, really scares the hell out of me, frankly I am fearful. I am afraid of him.”

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Claudia Torrens is on Twitter as http://www.twitter.com/ClaudiaTorrens