The CEO of Goya Foods declared former President Donald Trump the “legitimate” commander in chief during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference this weekend.
In his speech to CPAC on Sunday, Robert Unanue, 67, called Trump “the real, the legitimate, and still the actual president of the United States,” adding, “We still have faith that the majority of the people in the United States voted for the president,” even though the former president lost the popular vote by more than seven million votes.
Unanue’s claims of election fraud extended to the Georgia Senate runoffs, which he argued were “not legitimate.”
“As a citizen of the United States, I think I’m allowed to vote once, once — not twice, or three times, or 10 times,” he said.
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Goya Foods did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The businessman’s comments sparked criticism on social media, with many calling for a boycott of the company. It’s unclear whether Goya knew Unanue was set to speak at CPAC.
Unanue’s past political statements have also attracted controversy. On Jan. 20, the day Joe Biden was sworn in as president, Unanue called Biden’s electoral victory “unverified” in an interview on Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo. As a result, Goya’s nine-member board voted to censure him for the remarks, subsequently forcing him to get permission before making future media appearances, according to the New York Post.
“Bob does not speak for Goya Foods when he speaks on TV,” Goya board member and third-generation owner Andy Unanue told the New York Post before the vote. “The family has diverse views on politics, but politics is not part of our business. Our political point of views are irrelevant.”
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Unanue, in response to the censure, left “open the possibility of speaking on behalf of myself,” but added, “I don’t believe I should speak politically or in a faith-based manner on behalf of the company.”
Unanue also sparked a boycott for praising Trump at an event at the White House over the summer. He has defended his support for the former president, refusing to apologize and calling the #BoycottGoya campaign circulating on social media an attempt to suppress speech.
