(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former President Joe Biden repeatedly credited his political rise to César Chávez, the late farmworker activist now at the center of a growing national scandal involving allegations of child rape and sexual abuse.
Chávez’s legacy was thrown into crisis after The New York Times published Wednesday accounts from multiple women accusing him of sexual abuse and making unwanted advances toward them.
One accuser, fellow civil rights and farmworker leader Dolores Huerta, 95, said she became pregnant twice after Chávez assaulted her.
Two other accusers, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, both 66, alleged they were molested and groomed by Chávez when they were just 13 and 15 years old, respectively. Rojas said the alleged grooming and groping began when she was 12.
Another accuser, Esmeralda Lopez, said Chávez attempted to push her into a sexual relationship when she was 19. Her mother, Cynthia Bell, said Chávez made unwanted sexual advances toward her years earlier in the 1970s.
Before those allegations came to light, Biden repeatedly praised Chávez across both his White House and personal X accounts, mentioning him at least nine times over four years, according to a Headline USA review.
Biden himself has faced multiple allegations of inappropriate behavior, including one accusation of sexual abuse.
One of Biden’s most widely viewed posts featured a video of a bust of Chávez that he “proudly placed” in the Oval Office shortly after taking office in 2021.
“When I became President, I proudly placed a bust of César Chávez in the Oval to serve as a reminder of the values he embodied, the vision of freedom he fought for, and his commitment to justice and dignity that we must uphold each and every day,” Biden wrote on March 31, 2023.
“Happy César Chávez Day,” he added, referring to the commemorative federal holiday first enacted by then-President Barack Obama in 2014.
When I became President, I proudly placed a bust of César Chávez in the Oval to serve as a reminder of the values he embodied, the vision of freedom he fought for, and his commitment to justice and dignity that we must uphold each and every day.
Happy César Chávez Day. pic.twitter.com/GNKtjLTsq6
— President Biden Archived (@POTUS46Archive) March 31, 2023
Biden first mentioned Chávez on Sept. 15, 2019, when he included him among Hispanic leaders recognized for “Hispanic Heritage Month.” He repeated the mention in a Spanish-language post that same day.
Biden again praised Chávez on March 31, 2024, writing: “Today, we honor César E. Chávez by carrying on the cause to which he dedicated his life: Championing the dignity and rights of every worker, using nonviolence to fight for justice, and standing with organized labor to build an economy that rewards work and not just wealth.”
On Oct. 7, 2024, Biden said he was first elected in 1972 “because of the United Farm Workers in southern Delaware who were organized by Cesar Chavez.”
He continued: “Here I stand, 50 years later, as your president, honored to celebrate the heritage of the Hispanic community.”
