- Ivanka Trump posted a photo of herself promoting Goya black beans, after the Goya CEO praised her father, President Donald Trump.
- Critics quickly pounced on the post, saying it is a federal ethics violation for her to promote a product or company.
- A White House spokeswoman told the Washington Post on Wednesday that Ivanka Trump has "every right to express her personal opinion."
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Ivanka Trump is facing backlash online for posting a photo of herself promoting Goya beans.
The photo shows Trump dressed in all white and smiling. In one hand, she holds a can of Goya black beans, while her other hand hovers just below the beans in a pose similar to how a gameshow host might unveil a prize to a swooning audience.
"If it's Goya, it has to be good," says the caption, which was posted alongside the photo to Trump's Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. "Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno."
—Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) July 15, 2020
The photo triggered an immediate backlash online.
Critics accused Trump, who is President Donald Trump's daughter and White House adviser, of violating federal ethics laws that prohibit federal employees from using their positions "to endorse any product, service or enterprise."
She was also accused by some of using the beans to pander to Latino voters.
Ivanka Trump's Goya endorsement comes after the chief executive of the bean company, Robert Unanue, praised the president, saying the US was "truly blessed" to have him as a leader. Unanue's remarks inspired calls for a boycott against Goya, as well as a counter-calls for Trump supporters to buy more of the beans.
A White House spokeswoman told the Washington Post on Wednesday that Ivanka Trump has "every right to express her personal opinion."
"Only the media and the cancel culture movement would criticize Ivanka for showing her personal support for a company that has been unfairly mocked, boycotted and ridiculed for supporting this administration — one that has consistently fought for and delivered for the Hispanic community," White House spokeswoman Carolina Hurley said in a statement to the Post.
Here's what some people are saying on Twitter in response to the photo.
—CoCo Bonita-“Don’t mess with me” (@cobonita) July 15, 2020
—D Villella ❄️ (@dvillella) July 15, 2020
—Nurse Nina (@NurseNinaPA) July 15, 2020
—Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 15, 2020
—Noah Bookbinder (@NoahBookbinder) July 15, 2020
—David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) July 15, 2020
—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 15, 2020
—Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) July 15, 2020
—Jessica Tillipman (@JTillipman) July 15, 2020
