Black Twitter calls for Goya boycott after CEO praises Trump
The hashtag #GOYAWAY trends on Twitter, as users point out that this president has regularly attacked Mexicans, calling them 'criminals'
The CEO of Goya Foods heaped praise on President Donald Trump during a White House Rose Garden event to support Hispanic businesses on Thursday.
Robert Uname said, “We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder.”
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He continued, “And that’s what my grandfather did. He came to this country to build, to grow, and to prosper. And we have an incredible builder and we pray, we pray for our leadership, our president and for our country, that we continue to prosper and to grow.”
The hashtag #GOYAWAY instantly started trending on Twitter, as users pointed out that this president has regularly attacked immigrants, particularly Hispanics for his entire presidency. In his first campaign speech for the presidency, he described Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and “criminals.”
Former Democratic presidential nominee, Julian Castro said that the company has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations. He said that as their CEO is “praising a president who villainizes and maliciously attacks Latinos for political gain. Americans should think twice before buying their products.”
Model Chrissy Teigen tweeted, “A shame. Don’t care how good the beans taste though. Bye Bye.”
Other social media users asked that people not throw Goya products away, but to donate them to a food bank.
The company itself had announced a plan to donate 1 million cans of their chickpeas and 1 million pounds of food to food banks, during the Rose Garden event. “Our country faces a time of historic challenge but we will meet that challenge together and continue to work towards greatness, focus on a strong recovery, and hold onto the hope for a healthier future for all,” Unanue also said in his statement.
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Republican, Latina television personality, Ana Navarro-Cardenas tweeted, “The CEO of Goya has every right to his opinion. Consumers have every right to theirs. It’s called freedom.”
During the event, Trump signed an executive order called the White House Prosperity Initiative to “improve access by Hispanic Americans to educational and economic opportunities.”
On Friday, Uname doubled down on his comments, saying that the backlash is a “suppression of speech” and that he will not be apologizing for his statement.
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