“Today, the entertainment division of Univision Communications Inc. announced that it is ending the Company’s business relationship with the Miss Universe Organization, which is part-owned by Donald J. Trump, based on his recent, insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants,” read the press release. “At Univision, we see firsthand 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. We will not be airing the Miss USA pageant on July 12th or working on any other projects tied to the Trump Organization.”
Trump apparently knew some backlash was coming and issued a statement yesterday, stating “I am personally offended by the mainstream media's attempt to distort my comments regarding Mexico and its great people.”
Trump continued, “I have many successful business relationships with Mexican companies and employ, and am close friends with, many Mexican people. I do great with Latino voters. I employ so many Latinos, I have so many people working for me. The Latinos love Trump, and I Iove them.”
Of course, it sure didn't sound that way from the remarks Trump is now claiming the mainstream media is trying to distort. Here they are verbatim if you don't remember:
When do we beat Mexico at the border? They’re laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they’re killing us economically.To be fair to Trump, it is rather hard to figure out exactly what he's talking about whenever he speaks, but it doesn't take any mainstream media twisting to figure out that he's implying that most Mexicans crossing the border are either drug runners, rapists, or other types of assorted criminals and "not right" people. He also implied that immigrants from elsewhere in Latin America could also be "people that have lots of problems."
The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems.
Thank you. It’s true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.
But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we’re getting. And it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. They’re sending us not the right people.
It’s coming from more than Mexico. It’s coming from all over South and Latin America, and it’s coming probably — probably — from the Middle East. But we don’t know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don’t know what’s happening. And it’s got to stop and it’s got to stop fast.
Later in the speech, Trump promised to build a wall at the border and said he would force Mexico to pay for it. Kindly, however, he did say that he would build a cheap wall.
Trump doubled down today, first telling Politico that Univision has no right to terminate the contract, and then theorizing that the Mexican government is behind the decision.
"The government of Mexico and the lobbyists and the special interests have put tremendous pressure on Univision, a company that is very subservient to Mexico, to get Trump to stop exposing the terrible situation at the border and the terrible trade deals that are being made by the United States to the benefit of Mexico," he said. "I will not be party to that, because my love of the country is too great to allow this to happen."
Trump also took the opportunity to take a shot at Jeb Bush, whose wife Columba is from Mexico.
"Anyone else would be subservient to that. Bush would say, 'I'm sorry, keep ripping us off,'" Trump said.
Univision is officially based in New York, but keeps its major production facilities in Doral.
Doral, incidentally, is also home to the Trump National Doral Miami, where the 2014 Miss Universe pageant was held. The next Miss USA Pageant is scheduled for July 12 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
