NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump to Univision: Get off my lawn.
Firing back at Univision for its refusal to air his Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, the outspoken mogul and GOP presidential candidate has barred anyone who works for Univision from the greens of his Miami golf course.
In a letter Friday to Randy Falco, Trump advised the Univision CEO that “under no circumstances is any officer or representative of Univision allowed to use Trump National Doral, Miami – its golf courses or any of its facilities.”
Trump also demanded that Falco, whose company’s Miami office is next door to Trump National Doral, “immediately stop work and close the gate which is being constructed between our respective properties.” Trump gave Falco one week to take care of that matter, or “we will close it.”
The letter was dispatched a day after Univision declared it was canceling its coverage of the Miss USA pageant July 12 on its UniMas network as well as the Miss Universe pageant, which had been scheduled to air on the flagship Univision channel next January, and was severing its business relationship with the Miss Universe Organization, which produces both pageants. The reason: what Univision called “insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants” recently voiced by Trump, a part owner of Miss Universe.
During his presidential campaign kickoff speech last week, Trump had portrayed immigrants from Mexico as “bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some, I assume, are good people.” He also called for building a wall along the southern border of the U.S. The remarks drew condemnation from the Mexican government as “biased and absurd,” and sparked Univision’s announcement.
Trump, who has said his criticism was directed against U.S. policymakers, not the Mexican people or its government, stated Thursday that Univision would be defaulting on an ironclad contract if it doesn’t air the pageants. He pledged to take legal action against the company.
He also accused the New York-based Univision of having ties to Mexico that led the network to submit to pressure from Mexican leaders to punish him for pro-U.S. positions he expresses as a presidential candidate.
“They don’t want me saying that Mexico is killing the United States in trade and killing the United States at the border,” Trump had said.
In a P.S. to his letter, which was addressed to Univision’s Manhattan headquarters, Trump continued on that track.
“Please congratulate your Mexican Government officials for having made such outstanding trade deals with the United States,” he wrote Falco. “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.”
The letter was signed, “Sincerely, Donald J. Trump.”
When asked for comment on Trump’s letter, Univision seemed to be treating it as par for the course. A memo to Univision management on Thursday directed that, as part of the company’s decision to cut ties with Miss Universe, employees “should not stay at Trump properties while on company business or hold events/activities there.”
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