Goya faces ‘#BoycottGoya’ backlash after CEO says US ‘blessed’ to have Trump as leader

Goya, which claims to be the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the U.S., faced swift backlash on social media this week after its chief executive lauded President Trump during a White House event. 

“We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder,” CEO Robert Unanue said during a Thursday event at the White House that featured a group of Hispanic politicians, business leaders and other supporters.

“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,” Unanue said. 

The hashtags #BoycottGoya and #GoyaFoods quickly trended following Unanue’s comments, and some used the hashtag #goyaway. 

“.@GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations,” former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro tweeted Thursday. “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.”

.@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. #Goyaway https://t.co/lZDQlK6TcU

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) July 9, 2020

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted, “Oh look, it’s the sound of me Googling ‘how to make your own 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

The organization United Farm Workers shared a video of workers over a recording of Trump’s presidential announcement speech from 2015, in which he lashed out at migrants from Mexico.

Our statement on Goya:
A thread (1/) pic.twitter.com/1rRkn3XDdA

— United Farm Workers (@UFWupdates) July 10, 2020

Advocacy group United We Dream created a petition to boycott the food company, slamming Unanue’s comments as “unacceptable.”

Trump on Thursday also signed an expansion of the “Hispanic Prosperity Initiative” Thursday, which is intended to “improve access by Hispanic Americans to educational and economic opportunities,” according to a statement from the White House. The order includes more taxpayer funds for charter and private schools, in addition to other economic and employment initiatives, NBC News reported.