First lady Jill Biden was mocked for her unintelligible Spanish at an event marking Cesar Chavez day, as well as a flag in the background some say resembles a “Nazi eagle.”
The first lady attempted to say “Si se puede” on Wednesday, which translates “yes you can” in Spanish. The phrase is a motto of the United Farm Workers Union and came as she stood in front of the group’s flag.
Commentators likened Biden’s foray into Spanish to a scene from Parks and Recreation, a comedy about local government, and slammed Biden for “pandering” to Latinos.
“It’s ‘Si se puede’ (Yes you/we can) not ‘Si se pwadueh,’” Joanna Rodriguez, a communications director for the Republican Governors Association, tweeted. “I can’t even imagine what word she was trying to say. Seriously why even try pandering if you’re going to butcher it and not practice before?!”
JILL BIDEN SET TO STAR IN FEMALE FORCE COMIC BOOK
It’s “Si se puede” (Yes you/we can) not “Si se pwadueh” ??♀️
I can’t even imagine what word she was trying to say. Seriously why even try pandering if you’re going to butcher it and not practice before?! https://t.co/yKluZVSP6w
— Joanna Rodriguez (@joannamrod) April 1, 2021
Journalist Dania Alexandrino slammed Biden’s pronunciation, saying it missed the mark.
“Si se what???? I’m sure some one will surely tell Jill Biden ‘puadray’ is NOT a word in the Spanish dictionary. For those who are celebrating her effort, yeah NO! Very far from ‘Si se Puede’ which means ‘Yes (we) can.’ We in parenthesis because it can also be yes you can!”
Si se what???? I’m sure some one will surely tell Jill Biden “puadray” is NOT a word in the Spanish dictionary. For those who are celebrating her effort, yeah NO! Very far from “Si se Puede” which means “Yes (we) can.” We in parenthesis because it can also be yes you can! https://t.co/sWVfzhwgG9
— ????Dania Alexandrino???? (@DaniaPeriodista) April 1, 2021
The zoom out is perfect. It’s like an unproduced alternative reality Parks and Recreation https://t.co/FXQ4FR4Kgu
— ahmed ali akbar (@radbrowndads) April 1, 2021
Omg they need to build a whole new wing in the Pandering Hall of Shame https://t.co/sCGo6dZBQY
— Benjamin Weingarten (@bhweingarten) April 1, 2021
“hola, my latinx friends!” https://t.co/KVKomJrAzy
— Logan Hall (@loganclarkhall) April 1, 2021
The background behind the first lady also brought criticism, with some likening it to a Nazi flag and bringing up claims made by fact-checkers that an eagle emblem used by former President Donald Trump’s campaign was a Nazi symbol.
What say you, USA Today? Does this feature an imperial eagle, a Nazi symbol? https://t.co/AUhoPwzVnp pic.twitter.com/MYFsW5n9zr
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 31, 2021
Fact checkers assemble pic.twitter.com/qlKfVD6DXe
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 1, 2021
Questioning the @FLOTUS staffers who thought it was a good idea to put their boss in front of what looks like a giant Nazi eagle https://t.co/nj4qhm7VeH
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) April 1, 2021
Richard Chavez designed the UFW symbol in 1962, and Cesar Chavez said the Aztec eagle was used because people “know it means dignity.”
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The symbol is also a crucial part of Mexico’s founding myth. According to Aztec legend, a god told the leader of a tribe to settle where they came across an eagle perched on a cactus, devouring a snake. That city later became Mexico City, and imagery associated with the legend is featured in Mexican culture and on the flag of Mexico.
Miriam Powell, who has written extensively about the UFW, said Chavez researched “emblems, including cigarette boxes and Nazi flags, and concluded that the most potent color combination was red, black and white.”
