ATLANTA — Over three dozen people filled a Venezuelan restaurant in Duluth on Thursday evening to catch the CNN Presidential Debate.

The ideological slant of the gathering was clear: plastered around the restaurant’s walls, including below plates heaping with empanadas and tequeños were signs that read “Latino Americans for Trump” — the newly rebranded name for the coalition of Hispanic voters that support the former president. Until earlier this month, the coalition was dubbed “Latinos for Trump.” Other signs read, “Viva el sueño americano,” or ‘”live the American dream.”

According to restaurant owner Franklin Viloria, hosting the watch party was an easy decision to make.

“I support [Republicans] one hundred percent,” he said. “I came from Venezuela 23 years ago and I’ve never gotten involved in politics. But I definitely feel like I have to contribute my little grain of sand now to make a change.”

In his view, the most pressing issue is the economy and public safety, both of which he says have grown imperiled under President Biden.

“We came here from our countries to avoid these types of problems, and it turns out some of the same things are happening.”

Victor Armendariz, a local Mexican American conservative radio host, addressed the crowd as the debate was starting.

“Four years ago, gas cost you less, food cost you less. Everything about your life cost you less money … This is important tonight,” he said. “We’ve got English going and Spanish going. It’s because we’re all one. We’re Americans. Before I’m Mexican, I’m American. … And here in this country, to succeed, it doesn’t matter — brown, Black, white — I don’t care what you are and I don’t care what language you speak.”

As the debate got underway, it sometimes proved difficult for the exchange between Trump and Biden to hold the crowd’s attention.

The first applause line of the night?

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