NBC officially ended its business relationship with Donald Trump on Monday, June 29 after his presidential campaign announcement spurred the anger of the Latino community. Over 200,000 supporters petitioned for NBC to cut ties with Trump on Change.Org, an online petition website.
“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,” stated a press release.
NBC announced that Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants will not air on the company’s network. ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ will continue to air on NBC. Trump responded by saying that he will sue NBC for violating their contract.
"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,” said Trump.
The network’s decision stemmed from a speech Trump declaring his bid for the 2016 Presidential Elections on June 16 at Trump Tower in New York City, New York. Trump made a stand for immigration reform to “make America great again” and stated that Mexico was bringing drugs, crime, and rapists.
He added that some were good people, but that did not quell the anger of the Latino community. Guillermo Castañeda Jr. kickstarted an online petition entitled “Cancel Miss USA, Miss Universe, and The Apprentice.” The petitioned gained 218,988 supporters.
NBC Press Release:
“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. To that end, the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, will no longer air on NBC. In addition, as Mr. Trump has already indicated, he will not be participating in “The Apprentice” on NBC. “Celebrity Apprentice” is licensed from Mark Burnett's United Artists Media Group and that relationship will continue.”