'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
NewsMax host Carl Higbie is facing ire online after eating tacos on air while talking about deporting illegal immigrants. During a recent airing of his namesake show, Higbie attempted to mock Americans who expressed frustration at President Donald Trump's immigration policies by eating the Mexican dish.
Higbie showed a TikTok video of a user saying there should be "no tacos (and) no enchiladas,” or other Mexican food, for Trump supporters, before stating:
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do? Will you come take it out of my hand? I’m gonna eat half of this plate during the break. Maybe I’ll call the ICE hotline? I don’t know if I’ll have enough time," as he ate a taco.
During the program, Higbie also said:
"These people broke the law. They broke the law to get here. And once they were here, they broke the law again. Those are serious crimes, folks. Its not like shoplifting. Thats why they gotta go."
As the clip went viral, internet users were quick to react. Many criticized Carl Higbie's actions, stating he was racist. Here are some comments seen under @hollywoodunlocked's post on Instagram:
Others pointed out the hypocrisy in his remarks.
Carl Higbie is a former United States Navy SEAL
According to Carl Higbie's profile on Heavy, he hails from Greenwich, Connecticut (born on April 23, 1983). He attended Sacred Heart University before dropping out to join the military. He became a SEAL in 2005, reaching the rank of Petty Officer First Class. Carl was deployed to Iraq twice under President Bush's and President Obama's administrations.
Higbie has published two books centered on his experiences as a Navy SEAL: Battle on the Home Front: A Navy SEAL's Mission to Save the American Dream (2012) and Enemies, Foreign and Domestic: A SEAL's Story (2016).
In 2014, he unsuccessfully ran for Congress to represent Connecticut’s 4th District against Democrat Rep. Jim Himes. He had troubles with fundraising, and former State Senator Dan Debicella won the Republican nomination.
According to a November 2016 report by CT Post, Carl Higbie is a spokesperson for Great America PAC, a super PAC (Political Action Committee) founded in 2016. Through this organization, which advocates for Trump, he has been active in political circles, frequently appearing on Fox News and CNN to speak on various issues.
In August 2017 (during President Trump's first term), Carl Higbie was selected to serve as the chief of external affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service. He eventually resigned after his controversial comments about minorities made headlines.
According to his profile on Executive Speakers, he has been a host at Newsmax since 2019. He launched the network's first in-house Saturday show, Saturday Report. In 2022, he moved to host Wake Up America Weekend, and in April 2023, he got his own nightly show, Carl Higbie Frontline.
The NewsMax segment came after Trump and his administration ramped up immigration enforcement in several cities across the US. According to a report by NJ.com, Matt Elliston (director of ICE at Baltimore's field office) explained that they said, "The worst go first," referencing those considered public safety and national security threats.
Higbie has not publicly reacted to the backlash.
