NBC cuts ties with Donald Trump; he says he'll sue
Donald Trump says he'll consider suing NBC after the nework announced it would be breaking ties with him.
NBC is following Univision out the door.
Just days after the Spanish-language network announced it would be breaking ties with Donald Trump over his racist comments about Mexicans, NBC followed suit.
“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values. Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump,” the network said in a statement released Monday.
This means that the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, which are part of a venture between NBC and Trump, will not air on NBC. Trump will not be participating in “The Apprentice” as he had already indicated.
NBC said “Celebrity Apprentice” will continue without the mogul.
Speaking to reporters in Chicago on Monday, Trump said he'll consider suing NBC after its announcement and would not be apologizing for his claims that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime into the country.
"They did not want me to run. They wanted me to do 'The Apprentice'. And now with my statements on immigration which happen to be correct, they are going to take a different stance and that’s OK. Whatever they want to do is OK with me," Trump said. "As far as ending the relationship, I have to do that because my view on immigration is much different than the people at NBC."
Trump then issued a statement saying he stands by his statements regarding immigration and called NBC "weak" for being politically correct and "that is why our country is in serious trouble.”
"We must have strong borders and not let illegal immigrants enter the United States. As has been stated continuously in the press, people are pouring across our borders unabated. Public reports routinely state great amounts of crime are being committed by illegal immigrants. This must be stopped and it must be stopped now. Long ago I told NBC that I would not being doing ‘The Apprentice’ because I am running for President in order to make our country great again," he continued.
"If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the horrendous and unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court. Furthermore, they will stand behind lying Brian Williams, but won’t stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be.”
The move by NBC comes after a petition asking the network to fire Trump collected more than 200,000 signatures.
Posted on the Change.org website, the petition called out NBC for choosing business over "ethics, principles and values" in the wake of Trump's recent statements when declaring his candidacy for president. Among his remarks, the GOP hopeful portrayed immigrants from Mexico as "bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people."
In his presidential announcement earlier this month, Trump said: "Nobody can build a fence like me. I would build a wall like nobody can build a wall. And nobody comes in illegally anymore … I build great buildings all over the world. I would have Mexico pay for it. Believe me. They will pay for it because they have really ripped this country off.”
Last week, Univision announced it was canceling its coverage of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants because of Trump’s comments.
“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,” Univision said in a statement last week. “We will not be airing the Miss USA pageant on July 12th or working on any other projects tied to the Trump Organization.”
Trump retaliated by saying he would sue the network for “hundreds of millions of dollars” for severing ties with him and the Miss Universe pageant organization.
The 69-year-old Republican presidential hopeful also banned Univision officers and representatives from using the golf courses and facilities at Trump National Doral in South Florida.
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