First Lady Jill Biden said the Hispanic community was as “unique” as tacos during Monday’s “LatinX IncluXion Luncheon.”
At the event hosted by UnidosUS, she told the audience that the Hispanic community was as diverse as “the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami, and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio.”
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
“Um…what?” Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reacted.
Um…what? https://t.co/cyrd0ITbN8
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 11, 2022
Biden seemed to mispronounce the word “bodegas,” which are popular corner stores located throughout New York City.
The term “LatinX” has been a center of conflict among the Hispanic community as it aims to erase gendered language traditionally used in the Spanish language, as well as the Hispanic and Latino communities. Nearly a quarter of Hispanics said they preferred to be called “Hispanic” and 15% preferred the label “Latino” over “LatinX,” according to a Gallup poll. The majority, 57%, said they did not care. (RELATED: POLL: Only 2% Of Hispanic Voters Identify As ‘LatinX,’ Many Find Term Offensive)
Forty percent of Hispanics are offended or bothered by the term “LatinX,” according to a Bendixen & Amandi International poll. Only 2% between the ages of 40-54 and 4% between the ages of 18-29 describe themselves by the gender neutral term.
The poll also found that 28% of U.S-born and 35% of foreign-born Hispanics were less likely to support a candidate labeling their demographic as “LatinX.”
The Bendixen & Amandi poll surveyed 800 Hispanic and Latino/a voters between November 17-21, 2021 with a 3.46% margin of error.
In April, 2021, Biden seemed to have difficulty with her Spanish pronunciation as she attempted to say “Si, se puede” [yes, we can], and instead appeared to say “Si, se padre,” literally translating as, “yes, we father.”
Jill Biden tried #Hispandering and ended up saying “Yes, we father!” (Si se padre) instead of “Yes, we can!” (Si se puede).
Not a big deal, but I’m old enough to remember when President Trump’s mispronunciations would consume news cycles.pic.twitter.com/SPqYKgWCWl
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) April 1, 2021
A New York Times/Siena poll found that President Joe Biden holds a 63% disapproval rating among Hispanic voters, while 32% either strongly or somewhat approve.