By Lina Bryce
The New York Post just reported that NBC is ending their relationship with business mogul and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump over his comments about immigrants during a campaign announcement. This also means that they will no longer air the Miss USA or Miss Universe pageants. Trump is no longer appearing on “The Apprentice” as well, and “Celebrity Apprentice” will continue to go on without him.
NBC released the following statement:
“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values. Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBC Universal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.
Univision stated they will no longer air the pageant as well:
“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.”
The LA Times reported that Trump made an attempt to clarify his remarks and blamed the media for trying to distort his comments.
Trump responded:
“I have many successful business relationships with Mexican companies and employ, and am close friends with, many Mexican people. The disappointment I expressed relates to our incompetent politicians and their failed trade and immigration policies.”
In Trump’s presidential announcement he stated that Mexico is “not sending their best” and “it’s gotta stop.”:
They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume are good people. But, I speak with 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 from, probably-probably from the Middle East. But, we don’t know because we don’t have no protection and we have no competence. We don’t know what’s happening and it’s gotta stop and it’s gotta stop fast.
The Libertarian Republic had the opportunity to speak to a current pageant state competitor for the Miss USA system who wishes to remain anonymous who says she is disheartened by the network’s decision,
“I’m deeply disappointed that the pageant and the organization has to be caught in the middle. Pageants do so much good for those involved, from encouraging women and girls to be their best self and making an impact through charity work, as well as volunteering through states and communities. It saddens me that the national spotlight has to be taken away from the women who have worked for years and who aspired to be today’s role models.”
Although she believes that there are times when society will take political correctness too far, this particular contestant feels that the networks were left with little choice.
“I feel like big companies are left with no choice but to be extremely politically correct”, said the pageant competitor.
When asked if Trump should do all he can to mend the relationship between the networks and the organization, the young woman agreed.
“Absolutely!” she replied, “I think the damage is done for his business and political aspirations, but being that they have now affected an entire community of people, either those who are Hispanic, in the pageant industry, or otherwise affiliated with the situation, he should show some humility.”
Here is Donald Trump’s speech in its entirety:
