Looks like some of President Donald Trump‘s tactics are finally being embraced by establishment Republicans.
And by “tactics,” we mean Trump’s problematic early-morning tweeting, and by “establishment Republicans” we mean bluegrass-loving, Fox News-hosting, presidential-wannabe former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Up hours before the cock’s first crow, Huckabee wished the internet a festive Cinco de Mayo by tweeting out his off-putting plans to cinco de drinko down a jar of “hot” salsa, watch cartoons of the Mexican mouse Speedy Gonzales, and speak Spanish all the livelong day.
For Cinco de Mayo I will drink an entire jar of hot salsa and watch old Speedy Gonzales cartoons and speak Spanish all day. Happy CdMayo!
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) May 5, 2017
The tweet, for one, obviously points toward racist stereotypes of Mexicans and Mexican Americans, but is also completely confusing. Does he think drinking salsa and watching Speedy Gonzales are things people would actively choose to say to purposely be offensive?
These examples are so contrived, it’s almost like Huckabee’s day plans are a parody of what liberals would say to make fun of racists. Or perhaps Huckabee wasn’t “trying” to be racist at all, and simply wanted to make fun of “other people” who would do something like this on Cinco de Mayo, but definitely not him, the guy who tweeted it?
Regardless of Huckabee’s intent, this tweet is Certifiably Bad, and the internet didn’t shy away from roasting the former two-time presidential candidate with a brand of salsa so hot that even his non-Spanish-speaking tongue could handle it.
https://twitter.com/imillhiser/status/860515519753007108
Cinco de Mayo will be renamed Cinco de MAYO because of all the MAYONNAISSE I add to my SALSA bc it’s too SPICY sean SPICER in the news a lot https://t.co/tXESaGuWGK
— Mike Jokeabee (@pureporksausage) May 5, 2017
when u front like u know the band’s discography, but u only know 1 single & think they did Bitter Sweet Symphony https://t.co/kT4E27EHVH
— Carl Garcia (@carlinspace) May 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/jpbrammer/status/860515252315860992
Huckabee has always been a tone deaf piece of shit, but this is bizarre even for him. https://t.co/CtGG8fR4m8
— Jamal 🎃 Johnson (@Jamjohns1278) May 5, 2017
How does being a cartoonishly racist pile of garbage make Cinco de Mayo any different from the rest of the year for you, though https://t.co/Lw1winva8k
— @mumbly-joe.bsky.social (@mumbly_joe) May 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/Dr_Robuttnik/status/860498108945453056
Trump: I made the most insensitive Cinco de Mayo tweet.
— Josh Guckert (@JoshGuckert) May 5, 2017
Huckabee: Hold my cerveza. https://t.co/pAw1q3URd8
Other tweeters pointed to just how problematic Huckabee’s sentiment rang. He’s proposing that Americans such as himself celebrate the Mexican Army’s historic victory over the French by acting as parodies of Mexicans and guzzling fake Mexican food while watching an offensive cartoon depiction of Mexicans, and speaking Spanish, because supposedly that’s (a) a bad thing, and (b) the only language Mexicans and Mexican Americans know how to communicate in.
racism is a pre-existing condition https://t.co/z2MKzp86rh
— pfire☔Baby I Could Never Steal You From Another (@firefire100) May 5, 2017
has Mike Huckabee ever spoken to a latinx person https://t.co/jVtpFRqLgD
— ella dawson (@brosandprose) May 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/jesseberney/status/860514713947570176
Maybe you could try not being racist for just one day. https://t.co/udSVop6DWg
— Phil (Newsletter link in bio) Plait (@BadAstronomer) May 5, 2017
Several Twitter users strangely connected Huckabee’s bad Cinco de Mayo suggestion to his adult son David, who in 2008 was accused of taking part in the stoning and hanging death of a stray dog as a Boy Scout camp counselor in 1998. Huckabee denied the allegations at the time.
Is your son planning to kill a dog for Cinco de Mayo?https://t.co/0tGFaCQ5jQ
— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) May 5, 2017
Ah, yes, the only thing that can stop you from thinking about your son murdering a dog. https://t.co/lNG91BCTTh
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) May 5, 2017
https://twitter.com/DrGMLaTulippe/status/860515250574999552
Congrats, Huckabee. You’ve seemed to out-offend your commander-in-chief’s taco bowl tweet from last year, with a jab that makes absolutely no sense but was clearly still meant to make a mockery of Cinco de Mayo.
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
At least the rest of us can take solace in the fact that your sad salsa shake will do quite the number on your digestive tract.