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Trump begins his general election fight with rock-bottom approval ratings among Hispanics
Trump's post quickly stirred responses on Twitter
Two days after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump wished the world a happy Cinco de Mayo on Thursday when he shared a photo of himself grinning and eating a taco bowl at his desk at Trump Tower.
Trump posted the picture to Twitter and Facebook with the caption, “Happy Cinco de Mayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!”
When asked about the Tweet on Friday morning, Trump told the Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” hosts that it had been retweeted thousands of times.
“People loved it, and you know what, I’m going to do great with the Hispanics,” the real estate mogul said, repeating a line he’s used throughout his presidential campaign that he plans to win among Hispanic voters.
An online menu for Trump Tower Grill doesn’t list a taco bowl, but an entree listed on the menu for Trump Tower Cafe includes a “Taco fiesta!” which matches the description of Trump’s taco bowl.
As for whether they’re the “best,” a review of the beef tacos in New York Eater by Robert Sietsema in January called Trump’s food “bland.”
“On the same pass I also ordered ‘beef tacos’ ($13.50) which turned out to be a fried tortilla bowl heaped with romaine lettuce, grated yellow cheese, and plain ground beef that was so devoid of flavor, it rendered an insult to Mexicans every bit as profound as Trump’s previous pronouncements,” Sietsema wrote.
Trump, who has vowed to deport all of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, begins his general election fight with rock-bottom approval ratings among Hispanics.
Trump’s post quickly stirred responses on Twitterand Facebook, including one from Brian Phillips, a campaign official for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s unsuccessful campaign.
“The only thing worse than #NewYorkValues is New York’s Mexican food,” Phillips tweeted.
And likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton joined in, tweeting a response that included a video highlighting his pledge to deport undocumented immigrants.
“‘I love Hispanics!’ —Trump, 52 minutes ago http://hrc.io/1XaTPHx ‘They’re gonna be deported,’ —Trump, yesterday,” the tweet said.
And the reactions weren’t just from those on the campaign trail. Some posts by Trump’s critics received hundreds of retweets and favorites, including one Facebook comment by Andrea Mucino — that has since been removed — but got at least 80,000 “likes.”
“Too bad a taco bowl isn’t mexican, the Trump Tower Grill isn’t either, you’re not eating taco bowls from New York because you’re in WV today, Cinco De Mayo isn’t a hispanic holiday it’s a mexican one, and you are the same color as the taco bowl shell. But I digress!” Mucino posted.
CNN’s Tal Kopan contributed to this report.
