Boxing star Ryan Garcia has publicly reversed his support for Donald Trump, pointing to the handling of the Epstein files and the impact of ICE immigration raids in Los Angeles as the reasons behind his change of heart.
Speaking to Piers Morgan on Piers Morgan Uncensored ahead of his title defense against Conor Benn, Garcia addressed the video that went viral in April 2024 showing him shadow boxing in front of Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Asked to reflect on that moment, Garcia said, “What can you do? In that specific time frame, it was either him or Kamala. And I picked who I thought would be the better person for the job at the time. And a lot of things were promised at that time. And now, I’m not going to say I regret anything, but that was just a moment in time I felt like was the right choice and the right move. And everybody has the right to switch their support if they want to.”
On the Epstein files specifically, Garcia said, “I feel like if things need to be investigated and there needs to be full transparency and I think that he clearly stated that he was going to release it and there was going to be full transparency and once that was not done and a little shied away and put under the rug, I just can’t be behind something like that.”
He added, “When kids are involved and there’s many lives that need some type of justice for what has happened to them, especially if some of the stuff is true, then that needs to be taken serious. And as the president of the United States, I feel like if that’s ignored, then I can’t support that.”
Garcia, who is from California, also cited the ICE raids in Los Angeles as a turning point. He referenced his own public statement, saying he could not “stay silent about what’s happening with ICE in LA,” describing those affected as “hardworking immigrants, especially Mexicans who pay taxes, raise families, build our communities.”
Pressed on whether pressure from the Mexican community influenced his stance, Garcia said no. He added, “This was just a situation that it was definitely heartbreaking to see, and kids being ripped away from their families and just all the things that ICE kind of moved and their protocol I didn’t really agree with, and I couldn’t just stay quiet for it.”
He clarified, “I do support America and I love America and I think that there needs to be some type of control with immigration, but there also needs to be some practical thinking on how to do the job. Not everything is gray and white in life, and I think that people need to have more heart and feelings towards people in real life.”
Garcia said he has since stepped back from politics entirely, telling Morgan, “I think that politics don’t really shouldn’t be getting involved in business… I’ve kind of stepped away from all the politics thing and trying to involve myself in all that.”
