HIS WHAT NOW?

Associated Press Describes Beto O’Rourke Speaking in ‘His Native Spanish’

Report buys into the myth that the Texas Democrat is Hispanic.

The Associated Press appears to have fallen for the myth that Beto O’Rourke is Hispanic, reporting that he spoke to a Texas crowd over the weekend in “his native Spanish.” O’Rourke—real name Robert Francis O’Rourke—officially kicked off his presidential campaign Sunday with a rally in hometown El Paso. The AP report from the rally describes a crowd “that waved small American flags and black-and-white signs reading ‘Viva Beto’ while often interrupting their candidate to chant his first name. O’Rourke also spoke at length in his native Spanish, eliciting loud and sustained cheers.” O’Rourke has been accused of cultural appropriation for giving the impression that he has some form of Hispanic ethnicity. Donald Trump once ridiculed him as an “Irish guy pretending to be Hispanic.” The report has since been amended to remove the claim that Spanish is his native language.

opinion

RIO GRANDE-STANDER?

Beto Tries to Trick Hispanics Into Thinking He's One of Them

Ruben Navarrette Jr.