Ivanka Trump holds a can of beans to make a point
Ivanka Trump decided that the most important thing to do today—as the United States grapples with a global pandemic, economic disaster, and massive social unrest—is take a picture while holding up a can of beans. “If it’s Goya, it has to be good,” the president’s daughter captioned the photo before repeating her message, this time in Spanish! “Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno.”
If you’re wondering why the beans are so important, it all stems from a press conference at the White House last week where Goya
Foods CEO Robert Unanue gave a speech in which he
said the U.S. is “truly blessed” to have Trump as president.
Goya has long been a staple brand in the Latin community, and many
consumers found the praise reprehensible given Trump’s racist rhetoric
and immigration policies. Following the press conference, #Goyaway began trending on Twitter, which was met by the competing hashtag #BuyGoya. Yes, it’s 2020 and we’re fighting over beans.
Immediately after Trump’s photo was posted Tuesday evening, Twitter had some thoughts:
Trump isn’t the first Washington mainstay to wade into the Goya debate. Over the weekend, Ted Cruz decided to weigh in: “Goya is a staple of Cuban food. My
grandparents ate Goya black beans twice a day for nearly 90 years. And
now the Left is trying to cancel Hispanic culture and silence free
speech. #BuyGoya” Critics swiftly pointed out that the “anti-cancel culture” Texas senator was quick to call
for a Nike boycott following the brand’s support of Colin Kaepernick in 2019.