CBS host Gayle King defends First Lady after 'tacos' gaffe: 'When you know Jill Biden, that's not who she is'

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First Lady Jill Biden slammed for comparing Hispanics to 'breakfast tacos'

Ainsley Earhardt, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade discuss First Lady Jill Biden's controversial statement comparing Texas Hispanics to breakfast tacos.

First Lady Jill Biden took heat Monday for a short-sighted comment comparing Hispanics to "breakfast tacos" during the UnidosUS Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas, but one CBS host was sympathetic to the gaffe.

"Raul helped build this organization with the understanding that the diversity of this community, as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio, is your strength," she said Monday, praising UnidosUS President Raul Yzaguirre for his work.

"CBS Mornings" host Gayle King reassured viewers the remarks were not reflective of the First Lady during Tuesday's broadcast, saying, "When you know Jill Biden, that's not who she is."

King added that Biden's message "didn't come out correctly," while coming to her defense during the segment. King, who has donated to Democrats, has vacationed with the Obama family and is also close friends with billionaire Oprah Winfrey and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

FIRST LADY SLAMMED FOR COMPARING HISPANICS TO ‘TACOS’ AS WH STRUGGLES WITH VOTER OUTREACH

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2020, file photo Jill Biden, wife of Democratic presidential candidate former vice president Joe Biden, speaks during a listening session with military families in Norfolk, Va. Once a reluctant political spouse, Jill Biden is now one of her husband’s most prominent surrogates. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

King's co-host Vladimir Duthiers introduced the brief rundown of tHE controversy, noting that many found the First Lady's remarks to be "incredibly offensive."

Reporter Christina Ruffini also noted the comment's especially poor timing considering President Biden's meeting with Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador was scheduled for the following day.

CBS's coverage garnered consequential criticism on Twitter, with conservative critics accusing King of going easy on Biden.

Curtis Houck, managing editor of the conservative watchdog organization NewsBusters, jumped on the segment, noting the network's short-lived coverage and criticizing King for her defensive efforts.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, July 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"@CBSMornings gave 81 seconds to Jill Biden "taking some heat" for comparing Latinos to tacos, saying it was something "many [found] incredibly offensive.," he wrote, adding, "But leave it to Gayle King to rush to Jill's defense: "[T]hat's not who she is, but it didn't come out correctly."

JILL BIDEN APOLOGIZES FOR ‘TACOS’ COMMENTS ABOUT LATINOS

Biden received criticism from other outlets after Monday's comment, including Rolling Stone and others, for reducing Hispanic identity to bodegas and tacos.

She also received criticism from key Republican leaders, including Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

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Biden apologized for her remark on Tuesday in a tweet issued by her press secretary Michael LaRosa who wrote, "The First Lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love for the Latino community."