Univision And Fusion Anchor Jorge Ramos Was Ejected From A Trump Press Conference

Donald Trump Removes Jorge Ramos From Press Conference. At an August 25 campaign event in Dubuque, Iowa, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump had Univision and Fusion anchor Jorge Ramos forcibly removed from his pre-speech press conference after Ramos stood up and asked Trump about his plan to deport undocumented immigrants. The Washington Post reported:

“Mr. Trump, I have a question,” said Jorge Ramos, the top news anchor at Univision and one of the country's most recognizable Mexican-Americans, as he stood up in the front row of journalists.

“Excuse me,” the Republican presidential front-runner told Ramos. “Sit down. You weren't called. Sit down.”

Ramos, holding a piece of paper, calmly tried to ask Trump about his plan to combat illegal immigration. “I'm a reporter, an immigrant, a senior citizen,” he said. “I have the right to ask a question.”

Trump interrupted him. “Go back to Univision,” he said. Then the billionaire businessman motioned to one of his bodyguards, who walked across the room and physically removed Ramos from the room.

[...]

But moments later, Ramos returned to his seat in the front row -- and Trump called on him. For five minutes, they tangled over immigration policy, an issue on which both men have passionately different views. It was one of the more compelling moments of the 2016 campaign. [The Washington Post, 8/25/15]

National Association Of Hispanic Journalists Condemns Trump's Actions 

The National Association Of Hispanic Journalists “Condemned” Trump For Having Ramos Removed. In an August 26 statement released by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the organization condemned Trump “for allowing Univision journalist Jorge Ramos to be ejected from a news conference for simply asking questions.”Read the statement below:

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists condemns presidential candidate Donald Trump for allowing Univision journalist Jorge Ramos to be ejected from a news conference for simply asking questions.

“Mr. Ramos was doing what journalists have done for decades - asking questions!,” said Mekahlo Medina, NAHJ President. “Ramos was simply trying to hold a candidate for president accountable for statements he made about a very important topic to the American people. Mr. Trump has avoided Mr. Ramos' attempts for an interview to reasonably discuss Mr. Trump's opinions and ideas about immigration and American children born to undocumented immigrants.”

Mr. Trump's recent attacks on FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly is also unacceptable and disturbing. NAHJ stands with journalists everywhere who are simply working to pursue the truth and hold people in power accountable for their statements and their actions.

NAHJ invites Mr. Trump to answer questions by Mr. Ramos & other Latino journalists at #EIJ15 national conference in Orlando on September 18th.

[Update: Ramos was allowed back into the news conference after several other reporters questioned Trump on why Ramos was ejected. Ramos was able to ask several questions after being allowed back into the news conference] [Media Matters, 8/26/15]

La Opinion And Univision Also Denounced Trump For Removing Ramos 

La Opinion: Trump's “Arrogance And Lack Of Respect Exceeds Itself Everyday.” On August 25, Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion criticized Trump's display of “arrogance” at the Iowa press conference where he threw out Jorge Ramos. The newspaper accused Trump of trying to “silence” the “respected Mexican-American journalist”:

Donald Trump's arrogance and lack of respect exceeds itself everyday. It seems impossible, but in the theater of the absurd constructed by the republican presidential candidate -- which seems to defy the rules of political protocol and better match a most vulgar reality TV script -- each move makes the previous one pale by comparison. [...] As if trying to affirm what type of banana republic administration he'd institute if somehow he were elected, in this latest episode of arrogance and hysterical authoritarianism Trump sought to silence, seat, and eject the respected Mexican reporter Jorge Ramos when the reporter intended to ask the business magnate various questions.

“Go back to Univision!” he contemptuously said without moving away from the podium, while Ramos was escorted by security from the event. [Translated from La Opinion, 8/25/15]

Univision President: Trump's Treatment Of Ramos Was “Beneath Contempt.” On August 26, Univision President Randy Falco issued a statement condemning Trump's treatment of Ramos in Iowa. Falco criticized Trump for demonstrating “complete disregard” for Ramos:

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 of 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. [Translation via Business Insider, 8/26/15]

Trump Has An “Adversarial Relationship” With Spanish-Language News Media

The New York Times Reported On The “Adversarial Relationship” Between Trump And Spanish-Language News Media. According to an account of the incident in The New York Times, the latest confrontation between Trump and Spanish-language media “boiled over” when the billionaire candidate forcibly removed Univision and Fusion anchor Jorge Ramos from an Iowa press conference. An analysis by Two.42.Solutions found that Spanish-language news media has been more critical in its coverage of Trump than mainstream, English-language news media:

About 58 percent of all mentions of Mr. Trump in mainstream news media -- broadcast, cable, radio and online outlets -- in the past month have focused on immigration, while on Spanish-language news programs, the proportion is almost 80 percent, according to an analysis by Two.42.Solutions, a nonpartisan media analytics company. The Spanish-language news media has also been more critical in its coverage of Mr. Trump's positions on the issue, with nearly all of it negative in tone. [New York Times, 8/26/15]