President Biden stepped on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday not to meet a foreign dignitary or sign a bill, but to celebrate a sort-of-true story about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
The president and Jill Biden, the first lady, were on hand for a screening of “Flamin’ Hot,” a new film about Richard Montañez, who worked as a janitor at Frito-Lay and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a marketing executive.
Mr. Montañez also claims to have invented the spicy, finger-staining snack — but a Los Angeles Times investigation found that he very likely did not.
In any case, the Bidens and Eva Longoria, the director of the film, told about 600 attendees that the screening celebrated an immigrant story rooted in the United States.
“Opportunity is a cornerstone of our democracy and the American dream,” Mr. Biden said after pumping his fist at the mention of Cheetos. “And as you’ll see in the film, that’s exactly what the Hispanic community embodies: opportunity, courage.”
Film screenings have become a popular way for Mr. Biden to celebrate various communities at the White House. In this case, the president is recognizing an aspirational Latino story — and a famous Latina director — as the election campaign heats up. He received a thunderous reception when he noted that Thursday was the anniversary of the creation of the program known as DACA that protects hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation, the legality of which is likely to end up in the Supreme Court.
“We’re here to stay,” one audience member shouted at Mr. Biden. “You’re damn right you are,” the president replied.
It was one of the more festive atmospheres of the Biden era. A Mexican folk ensemble played. Invitees lounged on picnic blankets and sipped margaritas. Mariachi band members stayed in uniform after playing to enjoy chips and guacamole.
But chips had nothing on Cheetos. A White House staff member lugged a cardboard box around, handing out bags of the corn snacks. The tablecloths of the outdoor bars were Cheetos orange. One attendee wore Cheetos-themed high socks, and another wearing an orange jacket could be heard telling her friend that she, too, was a “Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.”
Mr. Biden also turned to cinema last month to celebrate immigrants. Before screening “American Born Chinese,” he described the path of one of the actors in the film, who was born in Vietnam before finding refuge in Hong Kong and then pursuing his dreams in the United States.
As some states restrict the way African American history can be taught in schools, Mr. Biden reminded an audience of Black leaders that “history matters” before showing “Till,” the story of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black boy whose murder in 1955 galvanized the civil rights movement.
Presidents have long used movie screenings, usually inside the White House movie theater, for political outreach. Henry Kissinger used the theater to host foreign diplomats, according to Tevi Troy, a historian who has chronicled the film-viewing habits of presidents.
On election night in 2016, President Barack Obama watched “Dr. Strange.”
In the case of “Flamin’ Hot,” Mr. Biden has eschewed the theater for the South Lawn, which can fit hundreds of additional guests. (The White House theater has about 50 seats.)
“If you’re trying to appeal to Hispanic voters,” Mr. Troy said, “just getting 20 people in a room is not that much.”
Melissa Morales, the president of Somos Votantes, an organization that conducts outreach to Latino voters, said the film could resonate with Latina viewers like herself. She said she remembers running around as a child with red fingers “because I was eating hot Cheetos all the time.”
“To have that experience and what it seems like millions of other Latinos experienced onscreen,” she said, is “pretty amazing.”
