Univision has dropped the Miss USA pageant from its broadcast schedule after Donald Trump bashed Mexican immigrants in a speech last week, and in turn, the candidate for the Republican nomination for president is threatening to sue the network.
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Representatives for Univision announced Thursday they're pulling the plug on the Miss USA pageant -- which is part owned by the 69-year-old The Celebrity Apprentice star -- because Trump had made "insulting remarks" about Mexicans while kicking off his 2016 presidential campaign, the Daily Mail reported.
"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. We will not be airing the Miss USA pageant on July 12th or working on any other projects tied to the Trump Organization," Univision reps said in a media statement.
Trump began his rant about Mexican immigrants early last week in New York while saying the United States has become "a dumping ground" for everyone else's problems.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best... 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," Trump explained.
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"I will build a great wall. And nobody does walls better than me. Very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words."
Well, Trump's words have certainly been greeted with backlash. Colombian singer J Balvin was reportedly scheduled to perform at the Miss USA pageant this summer and backed out due to the controversy.
Trump isn't amused, however, and he's not apologizing for offending people.
"I love the people of Mexico, but my loyalty is to the United States," Trump has told numerous media outlets. "Running for president is far more important to me, frankly, than running the Miss Universe pageant."
And now he plans to take legal action and enforce "a major lawsuit" against Univision, according to the Daily Mail, because the network is allegedly breaching its five-year contract with Miss USA.
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"I cannot be silenced -- unlike a politician," Trump told the New York Post.
NBC announced in February they had decided to renew The Apprentice for a fifteenth season, however, TMZ reported the reality show will be put on hold during Trump's presidential run. Trump cannot receive disproportionate airtime.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski