Presidential adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump posted a photo of herself on social media late Tuesday holding up a can of Goya black beans, prompting concerns that she was using her government position to endorse a private business.
In an apparent show of support for the company, Ivanka Trump posted the photo of herself along with the slogan, “If it’s Goya, it has to be good.” She also included the Spanish translation in postings on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
If it’s Goya, it has to be good.
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 15, 2020
Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno. pic.twitter.com/9tjVrfmo9z
Federal ethics laws prevent federal employees from using their positions “to endorse any product, service or enterprise.”
Critics pounced overnight.
“You’re about to get dinged for a violation of ethics rules that apply to you as a White House staffer,” Liz Mair, a Republican political consultant, tweeted.
Joyce White Vance, a former U.S. attorney in Alabama, also weighed in, tweeting: “You’re kidding me, right? No ethics left in this White House on issues big or small.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), responded in Spanish, writing on Twitter: “If it’s Trump, it has to be corrupt.”
Others took to social media to mock the president’s eldest daughter. One Twitter user, for example, superimposed a bottle of Clorox over the can of Goya beans, making it look like Ivanka Trump was hawking the popular disinfectant.
The doctored photo included the slogan “El delicioso!” — a reference to the president’s musings about whether ingested disinfectants could combat the coronavirus.
On Wednesday morning, a White House spokeswoman dismissed Ivanka Trump’s critics, saying she has “every right to express her personal opinion.”
“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,” White House spokeswoman Carolina Hurley said in a statement.
“Ivanka is proud of this strong, Hispanic-owned business with deep roots in the U.S. and has every right to express her personal support.”
Trump later made an apparent show of support for both his daughter and Goya, posting a photo on Instagram that showed him sitting at his desk in the Oval Office in front of several of the company’s products. In the photo, he is flashing two thumbs-up.
Tuesday night was not the first time Trump officials have come under fire for seemingly endorsing products. In 2017, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway drew criticism after telling Fox News viewers to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff,” a reference to her clothing and jewelry line. Conway faced no discipline after a White House lawyer determined she spoke “inadvertently.”
The controversy over Goya was sparked last week, when the company’s chief executive joined Trump in the Rose Garden for the signing of an executive order that pledges to improve Hispanic Americans’ access to educational and economic opportunities.
During remarks, Unanue, whose grandfather was a Spanish immigrant, said he and Trump have something in common.
“We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder, and that’s what my grandfather did,” Unanue said. “He came to this country to build, to grow, to prosper. And so we have an incredible builder, and we pray for our leadership, our president, and we pray for our country that we will continue to prosper and to grow.”
The remarks fueled a firestorm of backlash targeting Unanue and Goya that culminated in widespread calls to boycott the popular brand.
Unanue has characterized the effort as an attempt to suppress free speech.
Allyson Chiu contributed to this report.