Univision and Fusion anchor Jorge Ramos said “I’m just a reporter asking questions” and that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s immigration rhetoric “is full of empty promises” on Thursday’s “AC360” on CNN.
Ramos stated, “I’m just a reporter asking questions. But I also believe, Anderson, that you have to go the extra mile, to be tough on those who are in power. And in my case, I had many questions to Donald Trump, and he just didn’t want to give me an interview. So, I went all the way to Iowa to ask those questions. I’m also convinced that as journalists, sometimes you have to take a stand.”
Ramos was then asked, “What do you believe you’re taking a stand against? Are you saying Trump is lying? Are you saying he’s a dictator? Are you saying he’s racist? Are you saying he’s just not giving facts?”
Ramos responded, “No, what I’m saying is that, what he’s saying about immigration is full of empty promises. He can’t deport 11 million people from the United States. He can’t build a 1,900 mile wall between Mexico and the United States. And he can’t deny citizenship to the children born in this country. He just can’t do that. Now, what I think is also — it’s very dangerous as reporters, not to challenge someone who’s saying that. We have to put it in perspective. He’s talking about the largest mass deportations, or one of the largest mass deportations in modern history. He’s talking about the largest wall between two countries in the world. He’s talking about changing the Constitution.”
Ramos added that when Trump told him “go back to Univision,” “What he’s saying is the same kind of language that we hear from people who are against immigrants. And, it’s the same language that I heard when I left the press conference, and there was another person, who I haven’t identified yet, clearly a follower of Donald Trump. Who said, ‘Get out of my country.’ I’m a US citizen, so this is my country. And this is not Donald Trump’s country. It is our country.”
After a clip of that exchange, Ramos continued, “Well that’s exactly what we — listen, what we hear from people who are against Latinos, and who are against immigrants. What I’ve been saying is that they is very dangerous that a presidential candidate speaks like Mr. Donald Trump. Because what’s happening lately, is that what many Americans say in their homes, to their friends, in their kitchens, now many of them feel that it is okay to say that to minorities, to Latinos. And this is really creating a terrible backlash.”
Ramos also said in response to a question about his daughter working for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign, “no one can criticize me for being partisan. I’ve been as tough with President Barack Obama as I’ve been with other Republicans. And I’ve — I can be tough on any candidate. It doesn’t matter their party. It is true, my daughter works for the Clinton campaign. And I disclosed that many, many weeks ago, many, many weeks ago. I think it is great that young people get involved in politics. I love my daughter. And — but she, made that decision on her own. And as a reporter, I have a completely different profession.”
Ramos concluded by addressing criticisms that he was “grandstanding,” arguing, “I was just a reporter asking questions. And he was just a candidate who didn’t like my question, and threw me out of a press conference with his bodyguard. So, I would argue that the one who created that show, it wasn’t me, it was Donald Trump.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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