First Lady Jill Biden Issues Apology After Comparing Latinos To ‘Bodegas’ And ‘Breakfast Tacos’ During Speech [Video]

First Lady Jill Biden has issued an apology following a wave of backlash after she compared the Latino community to “bodegas” and “tacos” during a recent speech.

It’s Hunter Biden one day, and the next, it’s President Joe Biden‘s wife making headlines. This week, Biden performed a speech at a Latino rights event in San Antonio, Texas. During her speech, she compared the community’s diversity to being as unique as “bodegas” and “breakfast tacos.”

“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,” said Biden. The comments didn’t take long to spiral Biden’s name into a trending topic on Twitter.  

“Hey @ FLOTUS, my heritage, my culture, & my history are more than tacos. The Hispanic community in America isn’t a minority voting pop. for you to use in your punch lines, we are citizens who work hard & contribute to this nation. November is coming!” wrote one Twitter user. 

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) also called out Biden, saying, “We are not tacos.” They added that Biden should “take the time to better understand” Latinos, mentioning that Latino heritage “is shaped by various diasporas, cultures & food traditions.”

On Tuesday, Biden released an apology through her press secretary Michael La Rosa, CNN reports. 

“The First Lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community,” wrote LaRosa in a tweet.

Hey @FLOTUS, my heritage, my culture, & my history are more than tacos. The Hispanic community in America isn’t a minority voting pop. for you to use in your punch lines, we are citizens who work hard & contribute to this nation.

November is coming!🇺🇸pic.twitter.com/RDk0zGmJ6W

— Yesli Vega (@yestoyesli) July 12, 2022

NAHJ encourages @FLOTUS & her communications team to take time to better understand the complexities of our people & communities.

We are not tacos.

Our heritage as Latinos is shaped by various diasporas, cultures & food traditions.

Do not reduce us to stereotypes. pic.twitter.com/KQIq5gwsht

— NAHJ (@NAHJ) July 12, 2022

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

— Michael LaRosa (@MichaelLaRosa46) July 12, 2022