Twitter users are calling for a boycott of Goya Foods, a brand that is known for its Hispanic-staple food offerings, after the company's CEO heaped praise on President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House on Thursday.
Robert Unanue, the CEO of the family-owned business since 2004, said that the country was "blessed" to have Trump at the helm in remarks made following a roundtable with Hispanic businessmen and political leaders from across the country.
'Blessed' to have Trump
"We're all truly blessed—at the same time—to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder," Unanue said. "And that's what my grandfather did. He came to this country to build, to grow, to prosper."
When Unanue refers to Trump as a "builder," the only thing that comes to mind is his infamous "build that wall" chant from his 2016 presidential campaign when he said he planned to build a 500-mile-long border wall between the United States and Mexico and make the latter pay for it.
Trump has maintained a tenuous relationship with much of the Hispanic community ever since his campaign for the presidency, in which he described Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and "criminals."
At the press briefing on Thursday, Trump vowed to "stand arm-in-arm with the Hispanic community to make sure every child can grow up in peace" while thousands of innocent kids are held in cages in the custody of Border Patrol.
Social Media Reactions
By aligning himself with Trump, Unanue, a third-generation Spanish American, enraged many with his remarks and potentially hurt his multi-million dollar business as users vowed never to use Goya's products again.
"Shame on Goya! How dare you support a racist who hates Latinos! I've been a lifelong supporter of Goya products, but I will never buy another @GoyaFoods product as long as I live!!," tweeted one user.
My husband is Cuban and he's been cooking with @GoyaFoods for as long as I can remember — but no more," commented another. "We just cleaned out our pantry closet and threw out EVERY one of their products. Adios, Goya!!"
Here are some of the other tweets:
