During a speech in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday, First Lady Jill Biden said the Hispanic community was as “unique” as “breakfast tacos”.
The comment was made while Biden was speaking at the 2022 UnidosUS Annual Conference titled “Siempre Adelante: Our Quest for Equity”.
The First Lady had praised UnidosUS President Raul Yzaguirre for his work.
“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,” she said.
Tuesday morning, Biden’s spokesperson Michael LaRosa tweeted “The First Lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community”.
Listeners were outraged by Biden’s comment. “We are not tacos,” said the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
“Using breakfast tacos to try to demonstrate the uniqueness of Latinos in San Antonio demonstrates a lack of cultural knowledge and sensitivity to the diversity of Latinos in the region,” the group wrote in a statement.
Newly elected Texas Rep. Mayra Flores tweeted “They just don’t get it. Latinos aren’t buying their liberal pandering; we care about the rising costs of housing, food, gas, issues that impact everyday Americans. No matter how loud they yell their made up words, it won’t change the reality of their failed policies”.
The First Lady was also mocked for mispronouncing the word “bodegas” as “bo-ge-das”.
Some Twitter users compared her to “King of the Hill” character Peggy Hill, who worked as a substitute Spanish teacher in Texas and couldn’t correctly pronounce “Español”.