Trump says Goya boycott backfired: ‘People are buying like crazy!’
Goya 'buy-cott' begins as customers load up on products after Trump backlash
Radio host Mike Opelka, who ignited the 'buy-cott' movement in response to calls to boycott Goya, joins 'Fox & Friends.'
President Trump on Wednesday said the boycott on Goya Foods “backfired,” claiming people are now buying their products “like crazy.”
“@GoyaFoods is doing GREAT. The Radical Left smear machine backfired, people are buying like crazy!” Trump tweeted.
The president’s tweet comes as Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food label in the country, faced backlash after its CEO Robert Unanue praised the president during an event at the White House last week.
IVANKA TRUMP POSTS PHOTO OF HERSELF PRESENTING CAN OF GOYA BLACK BEANS, CRITICS EXPLODE
"We're all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder," said Unanue at the event.
The president invited Hispanic leaders to the White House and signed an executive order on the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative to use more taxpayer support for private and charter schools and “improve access by Hispanic Americans to education and economic opportunities.”
But after Unanue’s praise of the president’s actions, politicians and celebrities alike pushed for a boycott of the company.
Critics like Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., former Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro and a number of celebrities took aim at the company on social media with hashtags like #BoycottGoya and #GOYAWAY. Many urged people who use Goya products to start buying similar foods and condiments produced by the company's competitors.
But this week, supporters are flipping the narrative and calling for a Goya Foods “buy-cott.”
Many on social media, including conservative media hosts and Republican lawmakers like Sen. Marco Rubio, weighed in, urging Americans to buy the company’s products.
GOYA 'BUY-COTT' BEGINS AS CUSTOMERS LOAD UP ON PRODUCT AFTER TRUMP BACKLASH
"Most of these people fronting about a #GOYABOYCOTT either don't use Goya Foods anyways [a]nd most of the ones who do will cave by #NocheBuena," Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted over the weekend, with an "I Love Goya" graphic.
And Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and a senior White House adviser, posted a picture of herself holding a can of Goya black beans Tuesday night, drawing some criticism.
“If it’s Goya, it has to be good,” she posted. She included the Spanish translation, “Si es Goya, tiene que ser Bueno.”
The White House issued a statement Wednesday ridiculing the pushback: “Only the media and the cancel culture movement would criticize Ivanka for showing her personal support for a company that has been unfairly mocked, boycotted and ridiculed for supporting this administration - one that has consistently fought for and delivered for the Hispanic community.”
Meanwhile, Virginia resident Casey Harper started a GoFundMe on Saturday to buy Goya products to donate to food pantries. The fund has already raised more than $250,000.
Goya Foods touted its charitable giving amid calls for its boycott, saying that it has given "two million pounds of food to food banks across the nation who are in desperate need of food for families impacted by COVID19."
GOYA FOODS CEO WON'T APOLOGIZE IN FACE OF BOYCOTT
Meanwhile, Unanue called the pushback against him visiting the White House “suppression of speech.”
Unanue said that he was previously invited to the White House for an event hosted by the Obama administration for Hispanic Heritage Month.
“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, it is not acceptable,” Unanue said.
Unanue said he is not apologizing for his remarks supporting Trump's economic policy and would not turn down other future invitations.
Fox News’ Matt Leach and Joshua Nelson and Fox Business’ Evie Fordham contributed to this report.