First lady Jill Biden issued an apology over her recent racist comments comparing Latinos to “breakfast tacos.” Biden’s comments prompted media backlash, which urged her to apologize for the objectification of the whole community.
Jill Biden’s Apology Mocked Badly
Michael LaRosa, Jill Biden’s press secretary, tweeted the apology on Tuesday. According to LaRosa, the first lady apologizes; her words only tried to convey pure admiration for the Latino community.
First lady Jill Biden on Tuesday released an apology after coming under fire for her comment in a speech that the Hispanic community is as "unique" as "breakfast tacos." https://t.co/kk46x3SMNj pic.twitter.com/ELzMNIzAh8
— Newsmax (@newsmax) July 12, 2022
However, Twitter users immediately started mocking the first lady for her apology. Most of them pointed out the use of the word “Latino,” instead of “Latinx.”
Press secretary of Republican Senator Josh Hawley replied to LaRosa, asking her, “Don’t you mean Latinx?”
Greg Pollowitz, a Twitchy editor, demanded a “White House style guide” to know when to use “Latino” and when to use “Latinx.”
These Twitter jokes were motivated by the previous attempts of the White House to call the community “Latinx,” instead of “Latino.”
However, Pew Research established only a small portion of the community uses this term. According to the research of 2020, only a quarter of Hispanic people ever heard the term “Latinx” and only 3% used it for themselves.
Ruben Gallego, a Hispanic congressman of the Democrat Party, has previously asked his colleagues not to use this term, as it does not resonate with voters.
Jill Biden Tried to Objectify the Whole Community
On Monday, Jill Biden came into hot water and triggered a media firestorm after her racial comments against Hispanics.
While speaking at the Latino civil rights and advocacy group UnidosUS event, she praised the efforts of former CEO Raul Yzaguirre. He was recently given the highest US civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
During her speech, Biden asserted the Latino community is like the “bodegas of the Bronx,” “blossoms of Miami,” and “breakfast tacos in San Antonio.” These comments induced significant backlash from both the media and Hispanic organizations.
The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) schooled Biden on the objectification of the whole community. According to the association, the first lady lacks knowledge about the sensitivity of the topic and the cultural roots of the community.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a lawmaker of Cuban descent, tweeted a picture of tacos and wrote #NewProfilePic in the caption.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/QsYqCaNOoP
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 12, 2022
Meanwhile, a British online newspaper, The Independent, noted these comments of the first lady could hurt Democrats’ efforts to increase Latino voter outreach.
As per the latest polls of the New York Times, 63% of Latino voters disapprove of Biden as president.
Historically, Latino voters align themselves with Democrats in most states. However, this latest trend is a sign of worry for already troubled Democrats who are striving to retain their congressional majority this November.
Recently, Republican candidate Mayora Flora flipped a historically blue seat in a Texas special election, where an overwhelming majority of Latino voters voted in favor of the Republican Party.
