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#Goyaway: Consumers call for boycott of Goya foods after CEO praises Trump at White House

#Goyaway: Consumers call for boycott of Goya foods after CEO praises Trump at White House
Posted at 10:20 PM, Jul 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-09 23:21:49-04

Thousands called for a boycott of Goya — the producer of dozens of Latin American staple foods — after the company's CEO praised President Donald Trump at a Thursday event at the White House.

At an event prior to his signing of a Hispanic Prosperity Initiative executive order, Trump hosted Latin American leaders at the White House. Among those was Robert Unanue, the CEO of Goya foods, who called the president a "builder," and added that "we are all truly blessed to have a leader like President Trump."

Unanue's comments sparked outrage among many, given Trump's past racially-charged against Latin Americans and immigrants. On the day he announced his campaign for the presidency, Trump referred to immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "criminals."

By late Thursday night, the hashtags #BoycottGoya, #BoycottGoyaFoods and #Goyaway were all trending on Twitter.

Among those who announced support for the boycott was Rep. Alexandria Oscaio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

"Oh look, it's the sound of me Googling 'how to make your own Adobo,'" she tweeted.

Julián Casto, the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and a former 2020 presidential candidate, also tweeted support for the boycott.

".@GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations," Castro said. "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"

During his appearance at the White House, Unanue also promised to donate 1 million cans of Goya chickpeas and 1 million pounds of food to local food banks, according to NPR.