‘I’m Not Apologizing’: Goya Foods CEO Refuses To Apologize For Pro-Trump Remarks

Mary Margaret Olohan on July 10, 2020

The CEO of Goya Foods is refusing to back down in the face of a boycott over his comments praising President Donald Trump.

Goya Foods President and CEO Bob Unanue came under fire after he said at the White House Thursday that “we’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder,” according to Fox News. His comments sparked calls to boycott Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the country.

“Oh look, it’s the sound of me Googling ‘how to make your own Adobo,’” Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. In a subsequent tweet, Ocasio-Cortez included a recipe for homemade adobo.

Former presidential candidate Julian Castro tweeted: “@GoyaFoods has been a staple of so many Latino households for generations. 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.”

So has @aoc been asked about her support for a boycott of an immigrant, Hispanic-owned food company that donated over one millions pounds of food to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria? https://t.co/o14QYX5AkN

— jerylbier (@JerylBier) July 10, 2020

“We were part of a commission called the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative and they called on us to be there to see how we could help opportunities within the economic and educational realm for prosperity among Hispanics and among the nation,” Unanue said Friday on “Fox & Friends.”

“It’s suppression of speech,” he said of the boycott against him, noting that he also went to the White house for an event hosted by former President Barack Obama’s administration.

“So, you’re allowed to talk good or to praise one president, but you’re not allowed to aid in economic and educational prosperity? And you make a positive comment and all of a sudden, that’s not acceptable,” Unanue continued.

“I’m not apologizing,” he added, noting that he will not be turning down any future invitations. “I didn’t say that to the Obamas and I didn’t say that to President Trump.”