In a stunning move, Donald Trump booted the most influential journalist in the Latino world out of his press conference yesterday evening.
The Post’s Janell Ross perfectly sums up the consequences this will have among Latino voters as Trump’s campaign becomes more and more vitriolic, and more and more Republican candidates for President refuse to condemn him:
“[The] lasting image will be that of Ramos — who serves as Univision’s lead anchor and is effectively one of the (if not the) most powerful newsmen on Spanish-language TV — being hustled out of the room after trying to ask Trump a question. Ramos, whose nightly newscast has been known to post ratings that top those of all three major English-language network news programs, has a history of holding presidential candidates very close to fire on issues he believes to be of deep concern to Latinos, such as immigration.”
Twitter reacted instantly to the shocking news of Ramos’s eviction, with opinions coming from leaders of news organizations, Latino and immigrant rights groups, and long-time viewers of Univision’s news programming.
In particular, many called out journalists for not only failing to stand with Ramos as he was manhandled by Trump’s security, but for also failing to address the blatantly racist campaign that has skyrocketed him to the top of the polls among Republican primary voters.
Others made it clear they’ll stand by Ramos, who, along with his Univision co-anchor Maria Elena Salinas, have been held in high regard by the Latino and Spanish-speaking communities for years.
See below for a sampling of the Twitter reaction:
Jamelle Bouie @jbouie
Donald Trump just told Jorge Ramos to “go back to Univision” like someone might yell “go back to Mexico.”
Jamelle Bouie @jbouie
Apparently the new hot take is that it’s biased and wrong to feel personally upset when a politician promises to deport 11 million people.
Benjy Sarlin @BenjySarlin
Trump asked if it was right to toss out Jorge Ramos, most prominent Spanish language newsman in America. “I have no problem with it.”
Joe Sudbay @JoeSudbay
Trump saying “Go back to Univision” sent his rabid supporters into frenzy. – and no one is pretending he’s not racist anymore, right?
Jose Antonio Vargas @joseiswriting
Donald Trump kicking out Jorge Ramos is like McCarthy belittling Murrow. @emergingUS
For a full rundown of last night’s Twitter coverage click here.
