Ivanka Trump shared a photo of her holding a can of Goya beans on July 14 following a controversy that sparked after the brand’s CEO Robert Unanue praised President Donald Trump at the White House on July 9. The president’s daughter, who has served as Senior Advisor to the President since 2017, captioned the photo with the brand’s slogan, “If it’s Goya, it has to be good.” The same image and quote also appeared on her Instagram and Facebook pages.
Ivanka Trump’s name quickly became a top-trending topic on Wednesday, garnering more than 147,000 mentions. After being live for more than 11 hours, the tweet itself attracted nearly 50,000 retweets and comments, along with nearly 100,000 likes.
One of the most popular responses was from Bravo bigwig Andy Cohen, who shared a gif of former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel yelling, “You’re a sicko!”
Comedian Natasha Rothwell received more than 11,000 likes when she wrote, “You are pure racist trash with a fake job that has left you morally bankrupt enough to hold up a can of beans— that you didn’t buy yourself, and that you don’t know how to cook— just so you can pretend to support a community you prefer to keep in cages, all to make daddy happy.”
Others, as noted by New York Magazine, discussed if Ivanka Trump was violating ethical standards. As stated on the website for the Department of Justice, a government employee must not use their position for personal gain.
An employee may not use his public office for his own private gain or for that of persons or organizations with which he is associated personally. An employee’s position or title should not be used to coerce; to endorse any product, service or enterprise; or to give the appearance of governmental sanction. An employee may use his official title and stationery only in response to a request for a reference or recommendation for someone he has dealt with in Federal employment or someone he is recommending for Federal employment.
Heavy reached out for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Goya CEO Says We’re ‘Truly Blessed’ To Have a Leader Like Trump
A backlash against Goya ensued after Unanue supported Trump while speaking at the White House.
“We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder,” he said. “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.”
As noted by Goya’s website, Unanue’s grandfather Don Prudencia Unanue was born in Spain and then migrated to Puerto Rico before settling in New York City, where he founded Goya Foods in 1936. “The Goya story is as much about the importance of family as it is about achieving the American dream,” the company website says.
Things like #BoycottGoya and #Goyaway started to trend as people threatened to shun the brand, which considers itself the “largest, Hispanic-owned food company in the United States.”
The boycott includes celebrities and politicians like Chrissy Teigen, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Democratic candidate Julian Castro.
Unanue Says Goya Boycott Is a Suppression of Speech
Unanue continued to support Trump, appearing on Fox & Friends and saying that he went to the White House for Trump just as he did for former President Barack Obama. The CEO added that boycotting his product was a suppression of speech.
“So, you’re allowed to talk good or to praise one president, but you’re not allowed to aid in economic and educational prosperity?” Unanue said, as noted by Fox News. “And you make a positive comment and all of a sudden, it is not acceptable.”
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