First Lady Jill Biden slammed for comparing Hispanics to 'breakfast tacos'
Ainsley Earhardt, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade discuss First Lady Jill Biden's controversial statement comparing Texas Hispanics to breakfast tacos.
CNN and MSNBC ignored First Lady Jill Biden's embarrassing "breakfast tacos" gaffe Monday during a speech to a Hispanic group
Biden went viral after her poorly chosen words at the 2022 UnidosUS Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas, while talking about UnidosUS President Raul Yzaguirre’s work in the organization.
"Raul helped build this organization with the understanding that the diversity of this community, as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio, is your strength," Biden said Monday. She also mispronounced "bodegas" in the remarks.
While the comments drew wide attention online and brief coverage on ABC, CBS and NBC, the cable outlets CNN and MSNBC did not mention them Monday night or as of this article's publication on Tuesday, according to a review of network transcripts. Their outlets did have online stories about the gaffe.
JILL BIDEN SAYS TEXAS HISPANICS AS ‘UNIQUE’ AS ‘BREAKFAST TACOS’ DURING SAN ANTONIO SPEECH
First Ladies have never gotten anywhere near the same scrutiny as their presidential husbands in the press, but they remain highly public figures. CNN and MSNBC extensively covered, for instance, Melania Trump in 2018 when she donned a jacket with the words, "I don't really care, Do U?" on the back, as she headed to Texas to visit migrant children.
Biden's remarks brought swift mockery from critics and also a statement of rebuke from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
"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," NAHJ began in a statement released Monday. "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."
"We are not tacos," NAHJ added.
Jorge Bonilla, who serves as Latino Director at the conservative Media Research Center, told Fox News Digital that the NAHJ's critique of the First Lady alone merited coverage from the cable outlets.
"CNN and MSNBC's non coverage of Tacogate provides valuable insight into who they think their audience is," he said. "Ultimately, CNN and MSNBC did a disservice to their audience and chose to provide cover for the Bidens on the day of Mexican president's [Andrés Manuel López Obrador] visit."
CNN and MSNBC didn't respond to requests for comment.
Jill Biden’s press secretary Michael LaRosa tweeted her apology on Tuesday, stating, "The First Lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community."
The statement comes as President Biden faces perilous polling and questions about his viability as a 2024 presidential candidate, particularly regarding flagging support in the Latino community. A poll in May found just 26 percent of Hispanics approved of his job performance, a potentially disastrous trend for the Democratic president.
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A New York Times survey this week found just 13 percent of Americans believe the country is on the right track, and perhaps most alarmingly for President Biden, only 26 percent of Democratic voters want him to be the 2024 nominee.
Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.