Black Twitter drags Ivanka Trump after she posts photo with Goya beans
Many wonder if the West Wing advisor is violation of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics
First daughter and special advisor Ivanka Trump is facing backlash after tweeting a photo of herself holding up a can of Goya beans.
One of the largest Hispanic owned food companies, Goya Foods, Inc.’s CEO Robert Unanue recently visited her father, President Trump, at the White House. Many question if the social media “endorsement” was a sincere shout out or a political trade-off for the Hispanic vote.
READ MORE: Goya Foods CEO responds to brand boycott: ‘I’m not apologizing’
Just last week celebrated the POTUS at a special gathering for Hispanic business and thought leaders, CEO Robert Unanue said, “we’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder.”
Shortly after Unanue’s uttering of that statement, #BoycottGoya began to trend.
People of Latinx descent were outraged by such a statement because the president had said horrible things about brown people throughout his short political career. Much worse, he has implemented policies about the community that has broken up families and promoted a rise in racial attacks.
On July 14, a tweet from the president’s daughter entered her into the conversation. Ivanka’s tweet included Goya’s slogan, “If it’s Goya, it has to be good,” in both English and Spanish. It appeared to be a tongue-in-cheek endorsement, but garnered specualtion regarding the intentions behind it.
She also posted the image to her Facebook and Instagram pages. Black Twitter and more began to reply to her post describing her actions and the Trump administration as a whole “racist,” incompetent and more.
There were a variety of opinions about the Twitter post.
While people debate whether or not the post is racialized, the West Wing advisor could be in serious violation of the federal ethics rules.
The United States Office of Government Ethics, which is aimed at “preventing conflicts of interest in the executive branch,” has guidelines on endorsements for those serving in the president in elected and appointed positions.
“Executive branch employees may not use their Government positions to suggest that the agency or any part of the executive branch endorses an organization (including a nonprofit organization), product, service, or person,” the office’s guideline says.
Ivanka’s rep defended the post, stating that the backlash is evidence of the new wave “cancel culture” in America.
READ MORE: Black Twitter calls for Goya boycott after CEO praises Trump
White House spokeswoman Carolina Hurley was a lot more diplomatic, “Ivanka is proud of this strong, Hispanic-owned business with deep roots in the US and has every right to express her personal support,”
No further statements have been made by Ivanka Trump or Goya Foods, Inc. to address her post.
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