'I did NOT know!' Bill de Blasio apologizes after shouting Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara's favorite Communist slogan in Spanish at a Miami rally

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio quoted Communist revolutionary Che Guevara in Spanish during a union rally in Miami
'Hasta la victoria siempre!' he shouted in Spanish, a line that translates to 'Until victory, always!'
The slogan was a favorite of Guevara, an ally of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro who oversaw the summary executions of hundreds of his political enemies
De Blasio later apologized and claimed he had no idea the phrase was linked with Che Guevara
Miami is home to America's largest concentration of Cuban émigrés and a hotspot of anti-Castro sentiment

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio apologized Thursday for quoting the late Communist revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara during a rally with striking Miami airport workers.

'We're going to stand up and fight for every one of you, because in Miami-Dade we need to do something that we have to do all over this country: We have to put working people first,' the outspoken leftist presidential candidate boomed.

And then the finale: 'Hasta la victoria siempre!' he shouted in Spanish, a line that translates to 'Until victory, always!' It's most closely associated with Guevara, an ally and adviser to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro who oversaw the summary executions of hundreds of his political enemies.

Chastened by an afternoon of scathing social media mocking, de Blasio tweeted his regrets.

'I did not know the phrase I used in Miami today was associated with Che Guevara & I did not mean to offend anyone who heard it that way,' he wrote. 'I certainly apologize for not understanding that history. I only meant it as a literal message to the striking airport workers that I believed they would be victorious in their strike.'

Miami, home to America's largest Cuban émigré community, has been a hotbed of anti-Castro sentiment since the 1959 revolution.

Guevara, now a martyred icon of liberal chic who appears on millions of two-tone t-shirts, died in 1967 in Bolivia, executed by the army there for trying to foment a second revolution with Castro's brand of Communism.

While many leftists revere him as a symbol of rebellion and anti-imperialism, historians recall a ruthless figure who ordered Cuban prisoners at the La Cabaña Fortress executed without trial.

De Blasio's appearance came on the heels of a Democratic presidential primary debate appearance in which he stood tall as the furthest candidate to the left – both on stage and on the political spectrum

In one memorable moment he framed America's immigration crisis as a plank in his socialism-rich platform.

'For all the American citizens out there who feel you're falling behind, who feel the American dream's not working for you, the immigrants didn't do that to you,' he lectured. 'The big corporations did that to you. The "One Percent" did that to you.'

'There's plenty of money in this country. It's just in the wrong hands,' de Blasio intoned, a line that he repeated Thursday afternoon.

'There will be voices that tell you there is not enough money to treat working people right,' he told the striking workers. 'There is plenty of money in the world. It's just in the wrong hands. It should be in your hands.'

De Blasio's rhetoric during Wednesday night's Democratic primary debate was the furthest to the left of the 10 participants; 'There's plenty of money in this country. It's just in the wrong hands,' he said, a line that would have sounded at home in Che's revolution

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott mocked de Blasio for 'embracing socialism' as he runs for the White House

Florida state Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Democrat who spoke at the union rally and left before de Blasio arrived, said sh ewas 'utterly disgusted' by his choice of Spanish slogan

'Way to go comrades!!!' added Donald Trump Jr.

Trump blasts latest challenger Bill de Blasio on Air Force One

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Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott threw a jab on Twitter hours after de Blasio spoke Thursday.

'In case there was any doubt about the Democrats running for President embracing socialism, @BilldeBlasio is in Miami quoting...Che Guevara,' he wrote.

Florida state Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Miami Democrat who spoke at the rally and left before de Blasio arrived, tweeted that she was 'utterly disgusted.'

'This is completely unacceptable!' Taddeo wrote. 'How can anyone wanting to be the leader of the free world quote a murderous guerrilla – in Miami no less! A community filled with his victims! #DeleteYourCampaign.'

Donald Trump Jr. jumped on the pile later in the day, tweeting that '[t]here’s no better way to prove to Americans that the Democrats aren’t a bunch of communists than quoting... checks notes... Che Guevara. Way to go comrades!'