Back when President Trump was the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, he tried to connect with the Hispanic community on Cinco de Mayo. He immediately received backlash for allegedly stereotyping an ethnic minority via Twitter:
Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics! https://t.co/ufoTeQd8yA pic.twitter.com/k01Mc6CuDI
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2016
Trump may love Hispanics, but as president he will not be attending the annual White House Cinco de Mayo celebration. This breaks a 16-year-old tradition. Instead, Vice President Mike Pence will be the host to a much smaller event, according to Los Angeles-based Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión.
Last year President Obama hosted the celebration with a guest list of 500, including cabinet members, Mexican Embassy officials, Latino celebrities, and the event pushed forward immigration reform. The famous Mexican pop band Mana played, while food was catered by San Antonio’s Johnny Hernandez.
While Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, it is a holiday widely celebrated in the United States by the Mexican-American community. Mexico isn’t very enthusiastic about it south of the border, and instead waits to have its major celebrations on Sept. 16 to toast its independence from Spain.
Update 7:28pm CT, May 3: According to the Washington Examiner, the White House event will continue, but Trump will not be in attendance.
H/T the Hill