Goya Foods faces boycott after CEO praises President Trump
CEO Robert Unanue refuses to apologize as politicians, celebrities and social media call for boycott; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'
UFC star Jorge Masvidal on Friday defended Goya Foods as the company’s CEO came under fire for his support of President Trump.
Goya faces threats of a boycott after CEO Robert Unanue praised Trump during an event Thursday at the White House, saying, "We’re all truly blessed ... to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder.”
The remarks prompted a backlash on social media led by Hispanics, the firm's customer base, but Masvidal came to the company’s defense.
“Actions of @GoyaFoods speak louder than the #woke mob. My people don’t get influenced by those that don’t know. They’ve been helping our people when we needed it most,” Masvidal tweeted, linking to a story about Goya donating a million pounds of food to those impacted by Hurricane Maria in 2018.
Despite the protests, Unanue said Friday during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” that he wasn’t backing down.
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“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 United States,” he said.
Unanue called the pushback against him “suppression of speech.” He noted that he was also invited to the White House for an event hosted by the Obama administration honoring 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 asked.
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Unanue said he is not apologizing for supporting Trump's economic policy and would not turn down other future invitations.
“I didn’t say that to the Obamas, and I didn’t say that to President Trump.”
Fox News’ Joshua Nelson contributed to this report.
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