Throughout Joe Biden’s time in politics, he’s been repeatedly accused of pandering in order to gain votes and win support. At times, Biden’s come off as inauthentic and even desperate.
This was a recurring theme during the 2020 presidential election.
Yet, even as Biden’s been in office, this issue of pandering hasn’t really gone away. In many ways, the president seems to believe he’s entitled to a certain level of support merely owing to his incumbent status.
At this time, the latest pandering episode has actually come from first lady Jill Biden. That’s now landed her in the doghouse with many Hispanic Americans, as documented by Breitbart News.
The First Lady’s Crucial Mistake
This past Monday, Jill Biden gave a speech at the Latinx IncluXion Luncheon. However, it didn’t take long for this speech to go terribly awry.
The first lady took it upon herself to claim the Hispanic community has the same uniqueness as “beautiful breakfast tacos” found in San Antonio. Biden made this remark while speaking about diversity within the Hispanic community.
Jill Biden just said Hispanics are as “unique” as tacos.
This isn’t Veep. Which White House speechwriter just won a bet for getting the First Lady to say something like this?pic.twitter.com/DXfJgYz0g5
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 11, 2022
It didn’t take long for the first lady to be slammed for her remarks.
Multiple Hispanic groups criticized Biden for being tone-deaf. The Hispanic Journalists Association said the first lady showed a level of ignorance about the Hispanic community’s culture and complexities.
The group also called for the White House at large to understand that Hispanics are not tacos, but rather people of blended heritage, cultures, and diasporas.
A Public Relations Nightmare
The president’s approval rating with the Hispanic community has been declining for quite some time. These latest comments from the first lady are not going to make the situation any better for Biden or his team at large.
At this point, the White House will now have to do damage control to try to offset the first lady’s error.
Many Americans even questioned the integrity of Jill Biden’s speechwriter, wondering how such a stereotypical remark about the Hispanic community could ever be approved.
NAHJ encourages @FLOTUS & her communications team to take time to better understand the complexities of our people & communities.
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
— NAHJ (@NAHJ) July 12, 2022
Others even suggested this remark could have been intentionally tossed into the speech as a means of embarrassing the first lady.
Whatever it was, the damage has already been done. Biden’s comments have been panned by not just the Hispanic community, but also other Americans who view the current administration as a failure and out of touch.
Judging from the White House’s previous reactions to controversy involving its members, there’s no doubt the administration will try to spin this latest incident to make Jill Biden look good.
What do you think about Jill Biden claiming the Hispanic community is as unique as different San Antonio breakfast tacos? Let us know in the comments area how you believe the White House will react to this controversy.
