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NBC ends relationship with Donald Trump over comments about Latinos


Updated 4 mins ago


NEW YORK --

NBC on Monday announced it is ending its business relationship with Donald Trump after his comments about Latinos.

The move comes after Trump banned any employee of Univision from stepping foot on one of his properties after the Spanish-language network cancelled the Miss USA telecast. The billionaire real estate baron, who is now running for president, sent a signed letter to the company's CEO and made threats about future policies.

"Please congratulate your Mexican Government officials for having made such outstanding trade deals with the United States. However, inform them that should I become President, those days are over. We are bringing jobs back to the U.S. Also, a meaningful border will be immediately created, not the laughingstock that currently exists," Trump said in the letter.

Trump also took a swipe at CEO Randy Falco's management style.

"Also, it's too bad you didn't have the courage to call me yourself instead of delegating the task to Beau," he wrote.

The letter is the latest move after Trump said that he plans to sue Univision "for a tremendous amount of money" after they announced it will not air the pageant - which is partly owned by Trump - because of the disparaging comments he made about Mexican immigrants.

The Spanish-language broadcaster announced it will not show the July 12 Miss USA telecast. The pageant was slated to air on Univision's UniMas network.


The announcement comes more than a week after Trump's comments, which he made during a speech announcing his candidacy for president.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," Trump said in the speech. "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

When asked by ABC News Thursday whether he regretted those comments, Trump said, "Not at all. I said it about people from all over. I didn;t say it about Mexico - I said people from all over."

Univision Communications Inc. released a statement about the decision to drop the pageant broadcast.

"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," it said.

In severing her ties with the show, Puerto Rican actress Roselyn Sanchez, one of the two co-hosts, cited Trump's comments about immigrants.

"Since I heard Trump's speech, as a Latina I felt a lump in my stomach. 'It's got to be a joke,' I thought," the star of the Lifetime series "Devious Maids" told The Associated Press.

Also on Thursday, Chilean actor-producer Cristian de la Fuente, the show's other co-host, had strong words for Trump: "It's a shame that such an important institution as Miss USA is now in the hands of a clown."

Singer-songwriter Ricky Martin also took to Twitter to blast Trump.

"A lot of hatred and ignorance in his heart," he tweeted.

Miss California USA Natasha Martinez was asked about Trump's comments during an interview Thursday on Los Angeles TV station KCAL and said they were "a little bit tough to hear."

"But I know that this opportunity for me as Miss California-USA, and now competing for Miss USA, is a great bridge to kind of represent my community and let the world know that I am a proud Latino-American," she said.

http://7online.com/entertainment/nbc-ends-relationship-with-donald-trump-over-comments-about-latinos/815529/