Credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Twitter users are boycotting Goya after its CEO praised President Trump.

During a gathering at the White House Rose Garden on Thursday, several prominent figures came up to the podium to speak their praises of US President Donald Trump. One of these figures was Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue.


“We are all truly blessed … to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder,” Unanue said. “We have an incredible builder, and we pray. We pray for our leadership, our president.”

As a result of Unanue’s praise for the President, users across social media have begun a boycott campaign against Goya products, using hashtags like #Boycottgoya and #Goyaway.

Several prominent members of the Hispanic American community have joined in this protest, chastising Unanue for his comments. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced her intent to boycott the brand.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro joined in to caution consumers against buying Goya products, though he did acknowledge that Goya brands are a staple of many Latino households.

In response to the protest hashtags, however, counter-protest hashtags like #BuyGoya have sprung up, in which many people insist they will be purchasing as many Goya products as possible to make up for sales lost due to the boycott. Users in these hashtags claim it isn’t fair to “cancel” the entire company for the comments of its CEO.

Unanue has not commented on the boycott calls, though he did announce that Goya would be donating a large quantity of canned foods to various food banks around the country to support families harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.