President Donald Trump was criticized after he celebrated Cinco de Mayo by retweeting his now-infamous 2016 tweet in which he's eating a taco bowl from Trump Tower Grill and declares his "love" for Hispanics.
Back then, while in the middle of the same campaign in which he claimed Mexicans are "rapists" who are "bringing drugs" and "bringing crime" into the U.S., Trump posted an image of himself giving a thumbs-up at his desk while supposedly preparing to eat a taco bowl from his own eatery.
He coupled what was essentially an advertisement for the business with the following message:
"Happy Cinco de Mayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!"
At the time, the restaurant’s website featured what seemed to be the same dish as a daily special called “Taco fiesta!” — described as “ground sautéed beef with jalapeños, onions, tomatoes, and chili spices,” served in a taco shell and topped with lettuce and cheddar cheese, all for $13.50.
You can see it below.
Of course, Trump's taco bowl gesture rang false given his history of inflammatory remarks about Mexican immigrants and his border wall proposal; at the time, former Mexican President Vicente Fox criticized taco bowls, labeling them as "sh*t" and questioning their authenticity as Mexican cuisine.
But a shameless Trump saw no issue, sharing the image again on Monday and writing:
"This was so wonderful, 9 years ago today!"
You can see his post below.
It didn't go over well.
Republicans have previously used the taco bowl post as evidence that Trump—despite all evidence to the contrary—actually respects Hispanic voters.
Last year, Fox News personality Jesse Watters had eyes rolling after claiming Trump loves Latinos more than then-President Joe Biden does because he sells "taco bowls" at his hotels.
The discussion arose after co-host Jeanine Pirro criticized Biden's attempts to appeal to Hispanic voters, calling them "pretty pathetic." Watters then put forth his theory, seemingly in earnest, highlighting the taco bowls famously sold at Trump Grill. He contrasted Trump's taco bowls with Biden's lack thereof, implying that Trump's food offering was a gesture of genuine support for the Latino community.
Once a grifter, always a grifter.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social