Jill Biden seeks the Hispanic vote in her own way: they are "like breakfast tacos"

Jill Biden, the nation's first lady (FLOTUS), has floundered in her attempt to reach out to the Hispanic community. During her speech at the annual UnidosUS conference, Biden said that Latinos were as unique as "breakfast tacos," drawing criticism from the community.

In her speech at the event, in San Antonio, the first lady referred to Raul Yzaguirre, former president of UnidosUS, highlighting, in reference to Hispanics, "the diversity of this community, as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the flowers of Miami and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio, is its strength," said Jill Biden. The community has been quick to criticize the stereotypes. There has been no shortage of jokes on social networks about Biden's lack of knowledge of the community or her mistakes in pronunciation (she said "bogedas" instead of "bodegas"). The networks even made the hashtag #Nosomostacos a trending topic.

Jill Biden's words have not gone unnoticed in the Hispanic community nor in the political class. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists criticizes in a statement the prejudices of the first lady. They point out that she should "better understand the complexities of our people." "We are not tacos. Our heritage as Latinos is made up of a variety of diasporas, cultures and food traditions, and should not be reduced to a stereotype," they say.

The importance of the Hispanic vote

San Antonio is one of the largest Hispanic cities in the United States, with a population of nearly 1.5 million people that is almost 65% Hispanic, according to U.S. Census data. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Jill Biden is trying to appeal to the community in her visit to the area, albeit with little success.

The Hispanic population in the country is becoming more relevant every day and the political class is aware of this. The and the representatives are trying to get it. Moreover, it is no longer a captive vote of the Democratic Party, but one that must be fought for in each state.

After Biden's slip of the tongue, many are wondering what would have happened if these words had been uttered by a Republican and what the progressive reaction would have been like. Others say they understand perfectly why Hispanics are beginning to shy away from the Democratic Party.

Apology for comparison

Hours after her unfortunate comparison, First Lady Jill Biden has apologized for her comment towards Hispanics. She has not even done it personally, but through Biden's press secretary, Michael LaRosa, who has published on Twitter the First Lady's apology.

The First Lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community.

- Michael LaRosa (@MichaelLaRosa46) July 12, 2022