Mike Pence's 'that Mexican thing' comment already being used as a Clinton fundraiser

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

last updated 5 October 2016

Three words uttered by Mike Pence during the vice-presidential debate are now being used to raise money for Hillary Clinton.

After Tim Kaine brought up Donald Trump's remarks about Mexican immigrants being rapists, Pence sighed, "Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again." Instantly, Twitter lit up, with some users astonished by his words ("'That Mexican THING?' WE ARE PEOPLE. WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS MIKE PENCE") and others making jokes ("I'm going to quit my job, buy a taco truck, and call it Whip Out That Mexican Thing"). CNN contributor Ana Navarro tweeted that "Latino Twitter is not happy" with Pence, and "pissed as hell" over his comment.

Inside the debate hall, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said there was "clearly an audible gasp in the room when it happened." As he told Yahoo News, "You would never say 'the black thing' or 'the Jewish thing' but you somehow feel free to say that Mexican thing — that shows what your priorities would be for the Latino community." Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) tried to spin it a completely different way, saying, "I think there are people who make a living out of taking offense, and most of them are trying to live in a color-conscious society. I think ultimately what Trump and Pence want to do is move us toward Martin Luther King's view of having a color blind society." One thing is certain: When you visit ThatMexicanThing.com, it redirects to Clinton's website, where if you chip in $10 or more, you'll receive a button pack.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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