Goya’s board of directors allegedly voted to censor CEO Robert Unanue after he made baseless public allegations about electoral fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
On opening day on Wednesday, Unanue appeared on Fox Business and said President Joe Biden’s victory was not “verified” and spoke of an approaching war.
“I think this is a mission accomplished by the union, the partnership, the social media conglomerate, big technology, big media and big government to usher in the dawn of a new world order,” said Unanue on the air. “There is a war coming, now that the president is leaving today, they are still coming after the United States, the working class. “
The council’s decision, taken on Friday and first reported by the New York Post, means that Unanue will no longer be able to speak to the media without first obtaining permission from the council.
Unanue confirmed to the Post that he would no longer speak publicly about politics or religion, but did not directly mention the council’s decision.
“Regardless, I made the decision to lower the temperature and stop talking about politics and religion,” Unanue told the Post. “I realize that it is important due to the different views of the company and our market.”
Unanue caused a sensation in July by praising then President Donald Trump at an event at the White House, saying the country was “truly blessed” for having him as a leader. These comments provoked a reaction from several Hispanic politicians and led to calls on social media for a boycott of the Latin food company.
Trump supporters then responded by launching a “buy-cott” and Ivanka Trump left in support of the company, urging consumers to buy Goya products.
Goya does not publicly disclose his financial gains, so it is unclear what impact Unanue’s comments had on the company. But a source who spoke to CNN Business said that the comments “jeopardized the company’s future” and that “sales growth is slower than it was” before his comments.