On Monday evening, Jorge Ramos accused Donald Trump of spreading “hate” by referring to illegal immigrants as “illegals” and the children of illegal immigrants as “anchor babies.”
In an interview on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, Ramos even claimed that Trump, who has proposed ending birthright citizenship in addition to other immigration proposals that would put America’s workers–U.S. born and legal immigrants–first, is “a creation of the Republican party” and promoting “the same ideas that other Republicans have espoused in the past, but only that he expresses them with more violence and in an extreme way.”
Ramos claimed that a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border is unnecessary because 40% of illegal immigrants are those who overstayed their visas. The Univision/Fusion anchor, who has said that Trump is the “loudest voice of hatred, intolerance, and division,” accused Trump of “spreading hate” by saying immigrants from Mexico are criminals and rapists even though Trump was clearly referring illegal immigrants.
“When you call U.S. citizens anchor babies, is that not spreading hate?” Ramos continued. “When you call 11 million people in this country illegals–and no human being is illegal–isn’t that spreading hate?”
Ramos, who believes there should be no limits on the number of Mexican nationals allowed into the United States, said the immigration issue is “not politics for us; this is personal.” He said “the things that he considers blunt talk is clearly offensive… and he’s having an immediate political impact.” Ramos added that the only positive thing about Trump’s focus on immigration is that “he brought immigration to the forefront of the 2016 campaign,” and Ramos predicted that “by next summer, both parties will be pleading for Latino votes and clearly those who have felt offended by Mr. Donald Trump will remember what he has said.”
He referred to a Gallup poll that found Trump’s net favorability rating with Hispanics was at -51. A recent Gravis Marketing poll, though, found that Trump did the best among Republicans with Hispanic voters in Nevada.
On Sunday, CNN anchor Jim Acosta badgered Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski about whether “people are going to get hurt” because of Trump’s rhetoric. Acosta cited the news reports of two men who beat up an immigrant in Boston and later told authorities that they agreed with Trump’s views on illegal immigration and asked, “Are you concerned that this rhetoric, this anti-immigration rhetoric is going to spiral out of control, and people are going to be hurt?”
Trump, though, has been clear that he would never condone violence.
“Boston incident is terrible. We need energy and passion, but we must treat each other with respect. I would never condone violence,” Trump Tweeted.
Even CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and reporter Jeff Zeleny said Trump should in no way be held responsible for the Boston beating.
“Yes, I’m inclined to defend Donald Trump on that. You know, Donald Trump isn’t causing, calling for people to be attacked in the subway or anywhere else,” Zeleny said on Friday’s The Situation Room. “And you know, I think you can’t really draw a line between a pathological act by some criminals and Donald Trump’s views. I just–I think, notwithstanding what they said, that’s not Trump’s fault.”
Blitzer replied, “I think you’re absolutely right on that.”
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