“The View” co-host Ana Navarro is offering some advice to First Lady Jill Biden about speaking to Hispanic audiences — but it’s a tad bit too late.
On Monday, Biden spoke at a Latinx IncluXion Luncheon as part of the UnidosUS Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas, and made the unfortunate decision to compare the Hispanic community to tacos.
During a segment of ”The View” Tuesday, Navarro — whose Twitter profile declares that she is a “proud Nicaraguan-AMERICAN,” addressed Biden’s comparison.
“Pro tip, when speaking to Hispanics, really, really avoid any comparisons to tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas, alcapurrias,” she said.
Watch the video below:
Ana Navarro on #TacoGate: "Pro tip, when speaking to Hispanics, really really avoid any comparisons to tacos, enchiladas, chimichangas, alcapurrias … " pic.twitter.com/4RgILglgX4
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) July 12, 2022
Biden’s quote was meant to talk about the diversity of the Hispanic community. She said, “[Raul Yzaguirre] helped build this organization with the understanding that the diversity of this community, as distinct as the bogedas [sic] of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio, is your strength.”
But in an apparent surprise to the members of the Biden White House, comparing groups of people to food is not a good idea.
After Biden’s comments, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) released a scathing statement blasting the first lady and her communications team for the comparison.
“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 statement read.
It continued, “NAHJ encourages Dr. Biden and her speech writing team to take the time in the future to better understand the complexities of our people and communities.”
It added, “We are not tacos. Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by a variety of diasporas, cultures, and food traditions, and should not be reduced to a stereotype.”
Read the statement below:
NAHJ encourages @FLOTUS & her communications team to take time to better understand the complexities of our people & communities.
— NAHJ (@NAHJ) July 12, 2022
We are not tacos.
Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by various diasporas, cultures & food traditions.
Do not reduce us to stereotypes. pic.twitter.com/KQIq5gwsht
A spokesperson for Biden later tweeted, ”The First Lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community.” However, it did not admit that the comparison was a mistake. Instead, it reads more of as if the White House was just saying it was sorry that some people took offense to the quote.
Navarro’s ”pro tip” is good advice, but it just came too late for the first lady.
But it should also apply to every demographic. It’s just not a good idea to say, ”How do you do [insert demographic here] you are just like this food dish that I enjoy.”
The shock value may have been diminished somewhat if this came from the lips of President Joe Biden, or Vice President Kamala Harris. At this point we just kind of expect bizarre, awkward, incoherent sentences from both of them.
But to have it come from Jill Biden really raises the question: What in the world is going on in this White House? Are they just in a death spiral of self-destruction as the president’s poll numbers crater?
