POTUS Endorses Goya Foods

Photo of the (supposedly) most powerful man on the planet facing the most serious challenge of his presidency (Covid-19) smiling for the camera with Goya products sitting proudly on his desk at the Oval Office, The White House, July 15, 2020 

This is a classic ‘what-me-worry’ moment. 

As Covid-19 feverishly embeds itself in the US and infections and fatalities surge almost all around the country, Donald Trump on Wednesday, happily posed with Goya products and then posted the photo to Instagram. 

Sitting behind his desk in the Oval Office, he gave the camera two thumbs up, flashing the witless smile of a first-class idiot who has just fallen in love with the brand that claims to be the premier source for authentic Latino cuisine. 

And that’s because Goya Foods had crossed over to the dark side. 

The company’s CEO, Robert Unanue (right) dropped in to Washington DC on July 09, 2020 to kiss the US President’s ass. There, standing tall, he purposely heaped praise on Trump, just so to show his allegiance to the Mad Hatter in the White House. 

Unanue even had the cheek to announce that the US is “truly blessed… to have a leader like President Trump” – and that Trump reminded him of his grandfather, a Spanish immigrant who founded Goya in 1936. 

The backlash against the otherwise-beloved brand was swift, including from within Latinx-American communities, with the hashtags #Goyaway and #BoycottGoya trending on Twitter – and which Unanue had labelled a “suppression of speech”! 

Trump supporters also got into the act and retaliated – they bought all the Goya products they can find. 

Lest we forget, Trump has consistently and repeatedly, spouted xenophobic rhetoric towards Hispanics. 

A day before Trump had his Goya photo taken, his daughter and advisor Ivanka (left) had tweeted a picture of herself holding a can of Goya black beans. 

And she added the caption which is Goya Foods' official tagline: “If it’s Goya, it has to be good” and its Spanish translation, “Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno”. 

The Trumps' actions have raised concerns over ethics violations since government officials are not supposed to endorse brands. The rules from the Department of Justice state that "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”. 

Is that so? Then again, the Trumps have always considered themselves to be above the law. 

And every time, Donald Trump pulls a stunt like this one – it diminishes him, the US presidency and the country in the eyes of the world. Not that he gives a damn!