CEO Says US Is 'Blessed' to Have Trump, Spurs Boycott

#Goyaway started trending soon after Robert Unanue's remarks at White House
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2020 7:24 AM CDT
Goya Foods CEO Piles Praise on Trump, Gets Piled On Online
President Trump listens as Robert Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods, speaks during a roundtable meeting with Hispanic leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Thursday in Washington.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Trump held a roundtable at the White House Thursday, which included a signing of an executive order on his Hispanic Prosperity Initiative. Among the Latino supporters in attendance was Robert Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods, said to be the largest Hispanic/Latino-owned food company in the US—and it's what Unanue said at the event that's making headlines. "We're all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder," Unanue said, per NBC News. That statement set off an online firestorm within the Latino community, which has been miffed at Trump for going after immigrants from Latin America. The hashtags #BoycottGoya, #GoyaFoods, and #Goyaway began circulating soon after Unanue spoke.

Among the prominent names criticizing Unanue, per USA Today: former Housing and Urban Development Secretary and presidential contender Julian Castro. "@GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations," Castro tweeted Thursday evening. "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." Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, posted, "Oh look, it's the sound of me Googling 'how to make your own Adobo.'" Despite Trump's past remarks about Mexicans and other Hispanic immigrants, a recent Noticias Telemundo poll predicts the president will draw between 25% and 30% of the Latino vote in November, per Newsweek. (More boycott stories.)

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