A bakery owner in Washington state apologized after sparking controversy over a “Build that Wall” Valentine’s Day cookie.
Edmonds Bakery owner Ken Bellingham told NBC affiliate King 5 News that the cookie was supposed to be a light-hearted joke and not a political statement.
{mosads}“Some are a little risqué, some are nice,” he said. “I’m back there trying to think of what to write on a cookie. I try to be funny.”
President Trump made building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a signature promise of his campaign and presidency, with the proposed wall leading to the weeks-long government shutdown that ended last week.
Bellingham said he only made one “Build that Wall” cookie and put it in his display case among dozens of other cookies with more traditional Valentine’s Day themed messages on them.
That single cookie was spotted last week by customer Ana Carrera, who took a picture of it and posted it online. She apparently did not find it as humorous as Bellingham did.
“It’s hard to see words like that,” she told the local news outlet. “We were born here, but my parents were the stories you see on the news of people crossing the border because they just want a new start.”
Carrera said her parents came to the United States from Mexico in the 1980s.
“It’s not anything I endorse. I don’t think building a wall will solve our problems,” Bellingham said after learning of the controversy surrounding the cookie he baked.
“If I wanted to make a political statement, I’d put it on a sign,” he said. “And march up and down the street. But I put it on a cookie for heaven’s sake.”