AZ Treasurer Kimberly Yee: Why I support President Trump and his vision of the American dream

At a recent White House press conference to unveil President Trump’s Hispanic Prosperity Initiative, Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue declared that Americans are “truly blessed” to have the leadership of President Trump.

While some have chosen to boycott Goya, I felt an immediate connection with his statement, and I chose to respond by visiting my local grocery store to support Unanue, his family company, and his sentiment about our President.

I have a lot in common with Robert Unanue. He is the grandson of Don Prudencio Unanue and his wife Carolina, immigrants from Spain, who founded Goya Foods’ family-owned company in 1936. I’m the granddaughter of immigrant grandparents who also started their family business in the 1930s at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Buckeye Road in Phoenix. My grandparents ran a “mom and pop” grocery store serving many of the families who lived in nearby government-subsidized housing.

The families who came into the grocery store every week called my grandfather “Popeye,” and he knew the customers by name. When families didn’t have the funds to pay for their groceries that week, he would sometimes give them credit, allowing them to repay him when they were able.

For many small businesses, customers become like family. My grandfather’s nine children helped out around the store, including my mother. She and her siblings worked hard stocking groceries, working the cash register and running this small, thriving, family-owned business for over 60 years.

For both my family, and for Unanue’s, this success truly embodies the American dream.

No other country in the world provides the freedoms and opportunities that we have in these great United States, where anyone can find success by embracing their talents and purpose. My grandfather would never have dreamed his granddaughter would one day become the first Chinese-American Republican woman ever elected to a major statewide office in the U.S., and the first Asian American to hold a statewide office in Arizona.

Four years ago, I shared my story when then-presidential candidate Trump gave me the opportunity to speak at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. My dad, a U.S. Army veteran and small business owner himself, was proudly in attendance. Speaking before those at the convention and on TV, I described the generations of hard-working entrepreneurs who have demonstrated, day in and day out, dedication to their families and love for America.

We must preserve the vision of America that allowed my family — and Unanue’s — to turn our dream into a reality.

As state treasurer , I know that family businesses like these form the backbone of our state and national economy. We need leaders like Trump, who understand the importance of protecting taxpayer dollars, fiscal responsibility, bold economic policy and protecting American business independence and global competitiveness.

Arizona was in a strong economic position before the pandemic, much of which stemmed from the Trump administration’s free-market policies, which boosted economic growth and protected small business. Arizona had the second-highest personal income growth of any state last year, and was ranked as the third-fastest growing economy in the nation going into this year because of those policies. Thanks to the Trump administration’s historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the typical Arizona family of four is projected to save about $2,000 per year in taxes.

During his time in office, Trump has focused on ending burdensome regulations and empowering the families and entrepreneurs who make our economic engine run. A return to this focus in the post-pandemic world will help Arizona and the rest of the country return to an economy which is faster-growing and stronger than ever.

In November, Americans will choose between two fundamentally different versions of America in their selection for president. This election, I intend to help voters see what I saw four years ago: Trump’s America First agenda will help secure prosperity and independence so that families like mine — and Unanue’s — will continue to find success in a country that prioritizes economic freedom and the opportunity to excel.