Donald Trump's 'I love Hispanics' picture overshadowed by ridicule

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The presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is storming ahead with his charm offensive after months of offending the people he hopes to serve. Unfortunately, his attempts at wooing seem to be having the opposite desired effect - particularly on those he upset the most deeply during his campaigning.

On Thursday, Trump shared a picture of himself eating a taco bowl on his Twitter and Facebook feeds alongside a caption declaring his "love" for Hispanics.

The billionaire business magnate was honouring Cinco De Mayo day - which many mistakenly believe is Mexico’s Independence Day - by sharing a picture of himself eating the taco bowl from a cafe in Trump Towers. “Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!” he wrote alongside the picture of himself, fork in hand, with a tight smile.

Somewhat bizarrely, an image poking out from underneath his dinner bowl of a bikini clad-woman sparked speculation Trump was reading a feature about his ex-wife Marla Marples.

Trump's caption was met with ridicule, with some asking if his post was perhaps satire in light of his repeated claims that rapists and criminals are crossing the border from Mexico into the US, and his promises to build a “big beautiful wall” on the border.

“What do this taco bowl and Donald Trump have in common...?” asked Kevin Eli Bock. “There is nothing authentic about either of them.”

“This is just a publicity stunt,” wrote Menina D'Amours Fortunato. “If he really was honouring CINCO DE MAYO, he would know that it is a MEXICAN holiday to commemorate the Battle of Puebla between the French & Mexicans. It is not a 'Hispanic' holiday."

But there was one response that caught everyone's attention: “Too bad a taco bowl isn’t Mexican, the Trump Tower Grill isn’t either, you’re not eating taco bowls from New York because you’re in WV today, Cinco De Mayo isn’t a Hispanic holiday it’s a Mexican one, and you are the same colour as the taco bowl shell. But I digress!”

Her comment was liked over 18,000 times before it disappeared from the page. Ms Mucino told Buzzfeed she did not delete it.

“I found it pretty disconnected from the Hispanic population [in the US],” she said.

“I think it’s pretty funny that [Trump] kept all of the awful messages on his picture but [kicked one off] that was kind of a joke.”

Trump was in West Virginia later that day and it is not clear when the picture was taken.