Donald Trump’s nativist campaign for President has drawn the ire of one of the world’s most famous Latinos (and American citizen).
In an op-ed published by Univision in Spanish and translated by Billboard in English, entertainer Ricky Martin slammed the Trump campaign as “racist” and “xenophobic,” after the leading Republican candidate threw Univision anchor Jorge Ramos out of his event earlier this week.
Martin had previously tweeted his disgust with Trump after his accusation that Mexicans are “rapists,” but the singer made it clear he feels Trump’s actions against Ramos are part of an ugly movement against Latinos as a whole:
“The fact that an individual like Donald Trump, a candidate for the presidency of the United States for the Republican party, has the audacity to continue to gratuitously harass the Latin community makes my blood boil.
When did this character assume he could make comments that are racist, absurd, and above all incoherent and ignorant about us Latinos?
From the beginning his intention was transparent: basically tell barbarities and lies to remain relevant in the public opinion, for votes or simply to stay on the media’s radar.
Yesterday’s episode against journalist Jorge Ramos, one of the most beloved and respected Latinos in world media, has gotten to the point of enough is enough.
Jorge Ramos was doing HIS JOB as a journalist at a press conference in which he appeared freely and democratically, representing one of the most important Latin television networks in the world and with the same right to freely exercise his profession as all other journalists.
But this new character in American politics verbally attacks him and ejects him from the press conference.
This action from Trump doesn’t surprise me, what does surprise me is that as Hispanics we continue to accept the aggressions and accusations of people like him who attack our dignity.
Enough is enough!
If we are united for some things we should be united for others. We have already shown the United States who we are and we cannot allow this behavior.
We have to defeat the power that Trump pretends to have over Latinos, anchored in low rhetoric and xenophobic speech, which his campaign team is convinced works for him.
Let’s show that our Latin race is to be respected, let’s not allow a political hopeful to plant his campaign in insult and humiliation. Let’s demand respect for those first generations of Latinos who came to the United States and opened a path for us. We have fought for every right that we have today.
Xenophobia as a political strategy is the lowest you can go in search of political power.
This is an issue that unites us and we need to battle it together, not just for us but for the evolution of humanity and those to come.”
Fellow performer Marc Anthony tweeted his support for Martin, saying in Spanish, “Latinos, this is our moment to show who we are! My complete support, brother.”
Latinos a llegado el momento de demostrar quienes somos!!!! Mi apoyo completo hermano #LatinosUnidos @ricky_martin
— Marc Anthony (@MarcAnthony) August 26, 2015
What does it matter how much money you have when everything that comes out of your mouth isn’t worth 2 cents @realDonaldTrump
— Marc Anthony (@MarcAnthony) August 26, 2015
With a combined 82 million albums sold between them worldwide, Republicans may want to listen.
Martin and Anthony weren’t the only celebrities to speak out against Trump recently. In an interview with the Latin American Herald Tribune, actor Matt Damon — married to an immigrant from Argentina — called Trump’s recent speech “xenophobic” and “dehumanizing”:
“He is talking about anyone who lives south of our border in inhuman terms. He is talking about my wife, my daughters,” said Damon.
“I think we are still laughing at this situation, but if you analyze the things he is saying it is disgusting and dehumanizing. We saw the Republican debate to entertain ourselves but when it started to get ugly we turned it off,” said the actor who is currently promoting his new movie ‘The Martian.’
Damon said he was also surprised at the expulsion of journalist Jorge Ramos from Univision and Fusion from a Trump press conference in Iowa.
“A couple of my friends said I had to see the entire press conference that is unbelievable, unimaginable,” said the actor.
“You have to take it seriously that he is doing so well in the polls, but if you hear the things he says, they are so xenophobic and crazy that it is amazing that so many people are willing to vote for him.”