Unvision and Fusion anchor Jorge Ramos said that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump “tried to silence me” and “you cannot do that,” adding “Those are the things that you see in dictatorship” on Wednesday’s “Kelly File” on the Fox News Channel.
Ramos maintained he only wanted to ask a question, and Trump had denied an interview request. He added, and “there are many questions that we have on Mr. Donald Trump. How is he going to deport 11 million documented immigrants? How is he going to deny citizenship for the children of the immigrants here? How is he going to build a 1,900 mile wall. So, we needed answers, so we decided to go to Iowa, go to a press conference, and ask those questions. And clearly Donald Trump didn’t like my question, and then that’s what happened. He tried to silence me. And in this country you cannot do that. I’m a US citizen, I’m an immigrant, I’m a reporter, and I have the right in this country to ask any question I want to whomever I want.”
After Kelly asked Ramos about Trump’s claim that he didn’t wait his turn, Ramos maintained that he did, and two other reporters asked questions, and Trump only wanted to take another question once he started telling Trump his plan is “impossible.”
Kelly then asked Ramos why he would want to engage with Ramos given Univision’s and his criticisms’ of Trump, Ramos answered, “Well, because his words are dangerous, and his ideas are extreme, when it comes to immigration, and when it comes to freedom of the press. I’ve been a journalist for 30 years, and I’ve never been ejected from any press conference anywhere in the world. Those are the things that you see in dictatorship, not in the United States of America. And it is very important that he answers the question. He hasn’t answered the questions on how is he going to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants from this country? Can you imagine, Megyn, what it would be? It would require the Army. Is he going to put thousands of immigrant in stadiums, and then use buses and airplanes to deport them? That’s not the United States that I know. And he has to answer those questions.”
After Ramos maintained that building a border fence is a waste of money, and discussed Trump’s numbers among Hispanics, Kelly said that while Gallup’s polling shows Trump has a high disapproval rating among Hispanics, Trump gave Ramos an answer, but one that he disagreed with. She again asked why Trump would want to engage with an outlet that has even compared him to Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof.
Ramos stated, “I understand that. But also, he’s talking about the fastest growing electoral block in the United States. He’s talking about 16 million Latinos that will go to the polls and might decide the election. So, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t like it. There are questions that need to be answered. And the problem is that he’s not used to being questioned. He doesn’t like uncomfortable questions. It happened with you, it happened with your colleagues at Fox News. He hates it when he’s being confronted. And we have to ask those questions. I think as journalists, Megyn, with all due respect, I think we have to take a stand when it comes to racism, discrimination, corruption, public lies, dictatorships, and human rights. When he’s speaking — when he’s expressing those really dangerous words, We have to confront them. That’s our job, to ask tough questions, even if he doesn’t like them.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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