'We Are Not Tacos': Jill Biden Rebuked After Saying Latinos Are as 'Unique' as 'Breakfast Tacos'
© AP Photo / Susan Walsh
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Months before clinching his 2016 presidential win, former US President Donald Trump made a similar head-slap moment when he tweeted out that he was celebrating Cinco de Mayo by promoting "the best taco bowls" at Trump Tower Grill. At the time, he finished off the tweet with the message: "I love Hispanics!"
US first lady Jill Biden landed herself in hot water on Monday after remarking during a public engagement that Latinos were as "unique" as "breakfast tacos," a move that prompted a mass lifting of eyebrows as critics weighed in on the comment.
Biden's gasp-inducing remark was made during an address at the 2022 UnidosUS Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas. At the time, the first lady was referring to UnidosUS President Raul Yzaguirre's work in building the organization.
"Raul helped build this organization with the understanding that the diversity of this community, as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio, is your strength," Biden said.
Adding insult to injury, video of the event also showed that Biden put a new spin on the pronunciation of the much-loved bodegas of inner cities, opting to instead mispronounce the word as "bogeda."
Once again, Dr. Jill Biden butchers the Spanish language in furtherance of pandering to a client constituency (the org FKA National Council of La Raza). I hereby bless your timelines with Dr. Jill's rendering of "bodega". pic.twitter.com/Z4FSXtlUMe
— Jorge Bonilla, Bowgedah Bro (@BonillaJL) July 11, 2022
Within moments, a variety of netizens and Republicans jumped on board to blast Biden for the taco comparison.
Christine Pushaw, who serves as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' press secretary, took to Twitter to note that there would have been a "regime media meltdown" if the comment had been made by a conservative politician.
"This isn't Veep. Which White House speechwriter just won a bet for getting the First Lady to say something like this?" asked Steve Guest, a communications adviser for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Elsewhere, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs (R) stated that the footage demonstrated why "Hispanics are fleeing the Democratic Party."
If you are comparing diversity of people to breakfast tacos you should be fired. #jillbiden #justsaying
— Todd Niedosik (@TJNbuilder) July 11, 2022
Sorry Jill Biden but like most LATINOS, I don’t identify as a “breakfast taco.”
— Elisa Martinez (@elisa1121) July 11, 2022
Nor #LATINX
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists also chimed in on the development, writing in a statement that the first lady and her communications team should take some time to "better understand the complexities of our people & communities."
"We are not tacos," the statement read. "Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by various diasporas, cultures & food traditions. Do not reduce us to stereotypes."
The White House has not yet addressed the flub.
The first lady's misstep comes as the Biden administration continues to lose ground with Latino voters. An April Quinnipiac poll determined that about 26% of Latinos approved of the president's job performance.
