Univision dropping Miss USA pageant over Trump comments

NEW YORK -- Univision is dropping the Miss USA pageant and says it will cut all business ties with Donald Trump in a spiraling controversy over comments the Republican presidential candidate made recently about Mexican immigrants.

The network said Thursday it would pull the plug on the July 12 Miss USA telecast and has severed its business relationship with the Miss Universe Organization, which produces the Miss USA pageant, because of what it called "insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants" by Trump, a part owner of Miss Universe.

During his presidential campaign kickoff speech last week, Trump accused Latino immigrants of bringing drugs, crime and rapists to the U.S. He called for building a wall along the southern border of the U.S.

In an interview Thursday, Trump said his criticism was directed against U.S. policymakers, not the Mexican people or government, adding Univision would be defaulting on its contract if it doesn't air the pageant, and he would take legal action.

"At Univision, we see firsthand 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," the New York-based network said.

Both Spanish language co-hosts also pulled out of the show Thursday, while Colombian singer J Balvin on Wednesday canceled a planned performance during the telecast.

A spokesman for Balvin said in a written statement the singer's management told the Miss Universe organization to withdraw his name from an announcement about participants in the Miss USA broadcast.

NBC is scheduled to go forward with its own airing of the pageant, as it has done since 2003.

Trump said Univision is submitting to pressure from Mexican leaders to punish him for positions he voices as a candidate on the campaign trail.

"They don't want me saying that Mexico is killing the United States in trade and killing the United States at the border," Trump said.

"Univision is totally laying down for the Mexican government. ... They want to silence Donald Trump. And Donald Trump can't be silenced. ... I have great respect for Mexico, and I love the Mexican people, but my loyalty is to the United States."

Univision declined to comment on Trump's remarks.

In severing her ties with the show, Puerto Rican actress and Miss USA co-host Roselyn Sanchez cited Trump's comments.

"Since I heard Trump's speech, as a Latina, I felt a lump in my stomach. 'It's got to be a joke,' I thought," the star of the Lifetime series "Devious Maids" said.

Also on Thursday, actor, producer and Chilean co-host Cristián de la Fuente had strong words for Trump. "It's a shame that such an important institution as Miss USA is now in the hands of a clown."

This year's Univision telecast would have been the first in a five-year contract Trump said "has no termination rights." The show was to have aired on Unimas, a channel wholly owned by Univision. The pageant previously aired only on English language television.

Sigal Ratner-Arias contributed to this report.