Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former presidential candidate Julian Castro and other prominent Democratic leaders are calling for a boycott of Goya Foods after its CEO appeared at the White House last week and said America is “blessed” to “have a leader like President Trump.”
Goya’s products are a staple in many Hispanic homes, although their popularity is broader than a single ethnicity.
Ocasio-Cortez promoted a boycott in multiple tweets and even posted a recipe for adobo.
Oh look, it’s the sound of me Googling “how to make your own Adobo” https://t.co/YOScAcyAnC
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 10, 2020
Castro, who served in the Obama administration, re-tweeted several tweets critical of Goya and wrote in his own tweet, “@GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations. Now their CEO, Bob Unanue, is praising a president who villainizes and maliciously attacks Latinos for political gain. Americans should think twice before buying their products.”
.@GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) July 9, 2020
Now their CEO, Bob Unanue, is praising a president who villainizes and maliciously attacks Latinos for political gain. Americans should think twice before buying their products. #Goyaway https://t.co/lZDQlK6TcU
Goya CEO Robert Unanue appeared in the White House Rose Garden Thursday for Trump’s signing of the Hispanic Prosperity Initiative. During brief remarks, Unanue said Goya was donating 2 million pounds of food to food banks in light of the pandemic. But it was his remarks about Trump that made headlines.
“We’re all truly blessed … to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder. And that’s what my grandfather did: He came to this country to build, to grow, to prosper,” Unanue said. “And so we have an incredible builder, and we pray – we pray for our leadership, our president, and we pray for our country that we will continue to prosper and to grow.”
Soon, the hashtag #Goyaway was trending on Twitter, urging a boycott. Former Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, a Democrat, wrote, “I will no longer be buying their products as they betray their once loyal Latino consumers.”
After the CEO of Goya Foods praised @realDonaldTrump I will no longer be buying their products as they betray their once loyal Latino consumers. Join me in taking a stand as a consumer and boycotting Goya. #Goyaway pic.twitter.com/iYEAH0S01Y
— Luis V. Gutierrez (@RepGutierrez) July 10, 2020
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, countered the boycott by urging people to purchase Goya products: “Goya is a staple of Cuban food. My grandparents ate Goya black beans twice a day for nearly 90 years. And now the Left is trying to cancel Hispanic culture and silence free speech. #BuyGoya.”
Goya is a staple of Cuban food. My grandparents ate Goya black beans twice a day for nearly 90 years. And now the Left is trying to cancel Hispanic culture and silence free speech. #BuyGoya https://t.co/Mhb7inVKWl
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 10, 2020
Geraldo Rivera also asked people to support Goya foods.
“#BuyGoya fight back vs the intolerant woke brigade,” Rivera tweeted. “Folks like the #GoyaCEO have the right to praise @realDonaldTrump in the same way you have the right to criticize him or anyone else. This is America.”
Rivera said the boycott likely would not succeed because Goya “is intertwined in Hispanic life.”
#BuyGoya fight back vs the intolerant woke brigade. Folks like the #GoyaCEO have the right to praise @realDonaldTrump in the same way you have the right to criticize him or anyone else. This is America. Olé pic.twitter.com/0TGJJsRFLi
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) July 13, 2020
Unanue told Fox News his company works with both Democrats and Republicans. In 2012, he appeared at an event supporting First Lady Michelle Obama’s healthy-eating initiative.
“You're allowed to talk good or talk praise to one president but you're not – when I was called to be part of this commission to aid in economic and educational prosperity and you make a positive comment, all the sudden that's not acceptable,” Unanue told Fox News. “If you're called by the president of the United States, you're going to say, ‘No I'm sorry, I'm busy, no thank you?’ I didn't say that to the Obamas and I didn't say that to President Trump.”
Photo courtesy: ©The White House
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
