Univision Communications president and CEO Randy Falco blasted Donald Trump Wednesday for the candidate’s treatment of Spanish-language newsman Jorge Ramos at an Iowa press conference on Tuesday.
“The recent treatment that Jorge Ramos received at Mr. Trump’s press conference in Iowa is beneath contempt,” Falco said in a statement released in English and Spanish. “As a Presidential candidate, Mr. Trump is going to get tough questions from the press and has to answer them.”
Ramos added, “Mr. Trump demonstrated complete disregard for him and for the countless Hispanics whom Jorge seeks to represent through press questions that are at the heart of the First Amendment.”
On Tuesday at a campaign even in Dubuque, Iowa, Trump engaged in a heated exchange with Ramos, Univision’s lead news anchor. When Ramos attempted to ask Trump a question, the candidate shut him down, telling him, “Go back to Univision.”
Security then escorted Ramos from the press conference. The reporter returned minutes later, and engaged in a lengthy back and forth with Trump, during which the candidate told Ramos, “I have a bigger heart than you do.”
Trump also gloated about his $500 million lawsuit against Univision for dropping the Miss USA pageant, co-owned by Trump, from its flagship network’s air.
Isaac Lee, president of Univision News, invited Trump after the dust-up to appear in a sit-down interview with Ramos.
Read Falco’s full statement below:
The recent treatment that Jorge Ramos received at Mr. Trump’s press conference in Iowa is beneath contempt. As a Presidential candidate, Mr. Trump is going to get tough questions from the press and has to answer them. Jorge Ramos is one the most professional, dedicated and respected journalists I have seen or worked with in my 40 years in media. He always asks hard questions of candidates and elected officials, regardless of party or issue. Mr. Trump demonstrated complete disregard for him and for the countless Hispanics whom Jorge seeks to represent through press questions that are at the heart of the First Amendment. I remain grateful for the first-rate journalistic work that Jorge and all of his news colleagues at Univision and Fusion do to bring all points of view to the 57 million Hispanics in this country.
El trato que recibió Jorge Ramos durante la conferencia de prensa del Sr. Trump en Iowa es despreciable. Como un candidato presidencial, el Sr. Trump va a recibir preguntas difíciles de la prensa a las cuales tendrá que responder. Jorge Ramos es uno de los periodistas más profesionales, dedicados y respetados que he conocido en mis 40 años de labor en los medios de comunicación. Siempre hace las preguntas más difíciles a los candidatos y oficiales electos sin importar el partido o el tema. El Sr. Trump le ha demostró indiferencia completa a él y al sinnúmero de hispanos que Jorge representa por medio de sus preguntas las cuales están protegidas por la Primera Enmienda. Estoy agradecido por el excelente trabajo periodístico que Jorge y todos sus colegas de Univision y Fusion realizan para comunicar todos los puntos de vista a los 57 millones de hispanos en este país.