Democrat presidential candidate New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio used a well-known Spanish language quote attributed to Che Guevara, “Hasta la victoria, siempre!” (“Until victory, always!”), as he spoke to striking Miami airport workers Thursday, sparking outrage in the large anti-communist Cuban population who settled in south Florida after escaping the Castro regime.

Presidential Candidate @NYCMayor was captured on video uttering slogan coined by Cuban Revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. De Blasio yells "Hasta la victoria, siempre!" which translates to "Until victory, always!"

Read More: https://t.co/35oeK26Gpg pic.twitter.com/dHqHyV82An — CBS4 Miami (@CBSMiami) June 27, 2019

de Blasio, who honeymooned in communist Cuba and studied Latin American politics at Columbia, later apologized claiming he did not know the phrase was associated with Guevara.

“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. I certainly apologize for not understanding that history. (1/2)”

TRENDING: This Is America? Young Mother TASED, CUFFED AND ARRESTED for Not Wearing Face-Mask at Mostly Empty Stadium to Watch HS Football Game

“I only meant it as a literal message to the striking airport workers that I believed they would be victorious in their strike- BdB. (2/2)”

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. I certainly apologize for not understanding that history. (1/2) — Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) June 27, 2019

I only meant it as a literal message to the striking airport workers that I believed they would be victorious in their strike- BdB. (2/2) — Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) June 27, 2019

de Blasio later spoke to reporters at the site of night two of the Democrat presidential debates in Miami where he took part in the night one debate Wednesday. de Blasio said, ““If you don’t know what a phrase’s origin is, you don’t know what a phrase’s origin is. If you say “si se puede,” I don’t know who the first to say that was”

(He did not say si se puede, but one of Che Guevara's most famous phrases, "hasta la victoria, siempre") pic.twitter.com/PGp2jaT3FV — Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) June 27, 2019

Bill de Blasio on quoting Che Guevara: "That's an honest mistake, and I do apologize for it." https://t.co/d19zFPOh1m pic.twitter.com/u1T41cBz0V — The Hill (@thehill) June 27, 2019

An anti-communist Cuban-American called out de Blasio: