In what has to be the first presidential campaign story of its kind, a television channel will not air a beauty pageant co-owned by a 2016 presidential candidate because the candidate called the television channel’s prime demographic a bunch of “rapists.”
This story is, of course, about Donald Trump.
On Thursday, the country’s largest Spanish-language broadcaster, Univision, announced that it would not be airing the Miss USA pageant, a beauty contest partially owned by Trump. The decision by Univision to end its relationship with the Miss Universe Organization is a direct response to Trump’s campaign announcement speech last week, in which the billionaire businessman and television star made a number of disparaging comments about Mexicans.
“At Univision, we see first-hand the work ethic, love for family, strong religious values and the important role Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans have had and will continue to have in building the future of our country,” reads a statement released by Univision. “We will not be airing the Miss USA pageant on July 12 or working on any other projects tied to the Trump Organization.”
In a rambling and much-mocked speech announcing his presidential bid on June 16, Trump’s comments about immigration from Mexico garnered the most negative attention. In addition to proposing a wall along the entire southern U.S. border that would somehow be paid for by Mexico, Trump made a number of brazenly offensive remarks about Mexican immigrants living in the United States.
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” he said. “They’re sending people that have lots of problems. And they’re bringing those problems to us. They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.”
This is not Univision’s first response to Trump’s comments. Earlier this week, the channel’s lead news anchor, Jorge Ramos, called out Trump for his “hypocrisy,” noting just how many Mexican immigrants are employed by Trump’s various businesses.
“To Trump, who is so fond of setting challenges in his television show, The Apprentice, I propose the following: to spend one single day—just one—without their Mexican and Latino employees,” Ramos said. “He would not be able to do it. His businesses would be paralyzed. A day without Mexicans would stop the Trump empire.”
Trump, who came in second place among Republican presidential hopefuls in a recent poll, lashed out against Univision’s decision in a typically bombastic manner.
Mexican gov doesn’t want me talking about terrible border situation & horrible trade deals. Forcing Univision to get me to stop- no way!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2015
Univision wants to back out of signed @MissUniverse contract because I exposed the terrible trade deals that the U.S. makes with Mexico.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2015
In addition to Univision dropping its coverage of the Miss USA pageant, actors Roselyn Sánchez and Cristián de la Fuente, who were set to host the Spanish-language simulcast of the Miss USA pageant, cancelled the engagement. In as statement directed to Trump, de la Fuente called the businessman “ignorant, racist, and anti-Hispanic.”
Photo by Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons (CC SA 3.0)
