NBC has fired Donald Trump over “recent derogatory statements” that the mogul made about immigrants.
The network said it would now not be airing the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants that are co-owned by Donald Trump.
Responding to the announcement, Donald Trump said he would consider suing NBC.
Earlier this month, Donald Trump accused Mexicans of adding drugs and crime to the US as he announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination.
“They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some I assume are good people, but I speak to border guards, and they tell us what we are getting,” he said in his speech on June 16.
Donald Trump also pledged to build a “great wall” on the US border with Mexico and insisted it would be paid for by Mexicans.
He later insisted he was criticizing US lawmakers, not Mexican people.
NBC had faced pressure from Hispanic advocacy groups to drop Donald Trump’s shows and a petition on the Change.org website gathered more than 200,000 signatures.
On June, NBC issued a statement saying: “At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values.”
Celebrity Apprentice would continue to be aired, the network added, as it is licensed from a separate group. Donald Trump stopped hosting the show when he entered the presidential contest.
Donald Trump issued a statement shortly after NBC’s announcement, saying he stood by his statements on illegal immigrations, “which are accurate”.
“NBC is weak, and like everybody else is trying to be politically correct – that is why our country is in serious trouble,” he said.
He claimed NBC had violated its contract and said the move would be “determined in court”.
NBC is the second network to drop Donald Trump after Univision, one of the largest US Spanish-language broadcasters, also ended its coverage of Miss USA.
Polls suggest Donald Trump is running second to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in the crowded field of Republican hopefuls.
Univision has announced that it is cutting ties with Donald Trump and ending coverage of the Miss USA beauty pageant, which he co-owns.
The US Spanish-language broadcaster said it follows Donald Trump’s disparaging remarks made about Mexicans.
Donald Trump said Mexicans brought drugs and crime to the US, during his announcement last week to seek the Republican presidential nomination.
The businessman is now threatening a lawsuit.
In his speech last week, Donald Trump said of Mexico: “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some I assume are good people, but I speak to border guards and they tell us what we are getting.”
In announcing the breakup, Univision said that his words were “insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants” and said it would not air the Miss USA pageant on July 12. The company also said it would be severing all business ties with the celebrity businessman.
Donald Trump has said his remarks were a criticism of US lawmakers, not the Mexican people or their government. He has also said that if Univision follows through with its decision it would be in breach of a contract that “has no termination rights”.
“We intend to pursue all legal rights and remedies available to Mr. Trump pursuant to the terms of the license agreement as well as a defamation case against Univision,” lawyer Michael Cohen said.
Donald Trump also accused the Mexican government of pressuring the network into “laying down”.
“They want to silence Donald Trump. And Donald Trump can’t be silenced,” he said in reference to himself.
“Of course I have a signed contract: five years, they have to pay me almost $15 million,” he said in an interview with the Fox News television network.
Univision has not commented on these remarks.
Cristian de la Fuente, one of the two co-hosts who pulled out of the program, said: “It’s a shame that such an important institution as Miss USA is now in the hands of a clown.”
While NBC has the primary broadcast rights to the spectacle, Univision was – for the first time – going to simultaneously air the event in Spanish.
Colombian singer J. Balvin was set to give a performance that would air on both broadcasts, but has withdrawn from the event.
NBC plans to air Miss USA Pageant despite Univision pulling out.
Miss Colombia Paulina Vega has been crowned Miss Universe 2014 at a Miami ceremony.
Paulina Vega beat out 87 other candidates from around the world.
Miss USA Nia Sanchez was named the runner-up.
Paulina Vega, 22, replaces last year’s winner Gabriela Isler.
She was crowned making her the 63rd Miss Universe titleholder.
Paulina Vega was born on January 15, 1993, in Barranquilla, Colombia. She is the daughter of cardiologist Rodolfo Vega Llamas and Laura Dieppa, and granddaughter of the legendary tenor Gatsón Vega. She is also the grandaughter of Elvira Castillo, Miss Atlántico 1953 (Colombia).
She studies business administration at the Universidad Javeriana in Bogota. She has been a model since she was 8 years old.
Paulina Vega belongs to a big family, with four sisters and three brothers. She graduated from a German school in Colombia, and speaks English and a bit of French.
In the Miss Universe Colombia pageant Paulina Vega earned the highest score possible in every presentation, 9.9. During her spare time, she enjoys being with her family and friends, and going to the park with her dog, Mateo.
It was Prince Harry’s height – a lofty 6ft 2in – that has caught the eye of his latest admirer, none other than Miss USA Nana Meriwether.
Attending a celebrity-studded fund-raising reception at Manhattan’s famous Four Seasons Restaurant alongside Prince Harry, the raven-haired beauty (officially 6ft 1in, but 6ft 4ins in towering Zara heels) declared she was technically royalty in America, and wondered if Prince William’s younger brother was single and if he might be interested in making an honest woman of her.
Nana Meriwether said last night: “He is doing a wonderful job of representing your country here. Miss USA is like royalty in the States, so I am really hoping to meet him.
It was Prince Harry’s height, a lofty 6ft 2in, that has caught the eye of his latest admirer, none other than Miss USA Nana Meriwether
“He is single, right? Well so am I. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we married. And he is very tall and good looking, I hear. Perfect. We are meant to be.”
Celebrities and the super-rich queued last night to dine with Prince Harry, Manhattan’s man of the moment.
Prince Harry, 28, was guest of honor at a glitzy reception thrown by the American Friends of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
Among the notable guests was Black Eyed Peas singer Will.I.Am, Sean Lennon, son of Beatle John, Bright Lights Big City author John McInerney and his socialite and philanthropist wife Anne Hearst-Mcinerney, sister of Patti, and the daughter of publishing tycoon Randolph J Hearst.
Also joining the throng was Rudin real estate heiress Beth de Woody.
British PM David Cameron, who is also in New York and earlier attended an event with the prince, also leant his support.
Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin has said she stands by her accusations that the Miss USA 2012 competition was rigged and will take on Donald Trump if he sues her, as he has claimed.
Earlier this week, Sheena Monnin resigned from her position claiming one of her fellow contestants – later revealed as Miss Florida – had seen a list of the top five girls before the show had even begun.
Sheena Monnin branded the competition “fraudulent”, “trashy” and “lacking in morals”, which led Donald Trump, the co-owner of Miss Universe Organization, to threaten her with a lawsuit.
But speaking to the Today show, Sheena Monnin said she is standing by her claims and knows Miss Florida was serious as she has had “years of psychological training”.
Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin has said she stands by her accusations that the Miss USA 2012 competition was rigged and will take on Donald Trump if he sues her
“I feel disappointed that [Trump] has made some of the statements that he said about me, and I feel prepared to continue to pursue the truth,” Sheena Monnin said on the Today show.
“I know what I heard, and I know what I in turn witnessed… so I’m prepared to continue to march forward.”
Florida’s Karina Brez has since said mentioning the list was “a throwaway comment” that was “never meant as fact”, but Sheena Monnin rubbished this defense.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that the contestant was serious when she laid out what she said she saw, and I believe her to be true,” Sheena Monnin, who hold a master’s degree in psychology, said.
“I have many years of psychological training. I know when someone’s telling a joke, I know when someone’s scared and when someone’s serious, and in my opinion her body language was very serious.
“She looked a little bit scared because she had just seen something that would potentially, drastically change the reputation of the Miss Universe Organization. This is a big deal.”
Donald Trump said on Wednesday that her claims were a case of sour grapes, adding: “I did see her for about a second. I never felt that she had a chance, and all this is buyer’s remorse.”
He added that an investigation into Sheena Monnin’s “disgraceful” claims has been carried out, and there is no evidence that there was a list of the five top girls before the show.
In her Facebook posts, Sheena Monnin, who had not placed in the top 16, had claimed Miss Florida went on to name all five women correctly before they were announced on the show.
Sheena Monnin, this year Miss Pennsylvania, has sensationally resigned from her position, claiming that the weekend’s Miss USA 2012 pageant was rigged.
Announcing the resignation on her Facebook account, Sheena Monnin claimed one of her fellow contestants had seen a list of the competition’s top five girls – before the show had even begun.
The unidentified contestant went on to name all five women correctly before they were announced, Sheena Monnin, 27, said in the posting.
But Miss Universe Organization has refuted the claims, saying that in a resignation email, Sheena Monnin said she was quitting as she was against new rules allowing transgender contestants to take part.
Sheena Monnin added on her post that the Miss Universe Organization, which oversees the pageant, is “fraudulent, lacking in morals, inconsistent, and in many ways trashy”.
Sheena Monnin, from Cranberry Township, won her title in December 2011. She did not place in the top 16 contestants on Sunday, leading some to brand her remarks as the mutterings of a “bad loser”.
But 12 hours after her first Facebook post, Sheena Monnin insisted her claims were correct and gave further insight into what sparked her decision.
“I witnessed another contestant who said she saw the list of the Top 5 BEFORE THE SHOW EVER STARTED proceed to call out in order who the Top 5 were before they were announced on stage,” she said.
The contestant told Sheena Monnin she had seen a folder lying open with a page reading: “FINAL SHOW Telecast, June 3, 2012” on the morning of the show – along with the “top five” filled in.
After the 51 contestants were whittled down to 16, the woman told Sheena Monnin and another contestant what she had seen.
Sheena Monnin went on: “I said <<who do you think they will be?>>. She said that she didn’t <<think>> she <<knew>> because she saw the list that morning. She relayed whose names were on the list.”
The field was then narrowed further as the contestants went through the swimswuit, evening gown and interview rounds, with eventually the final five named.
She went on: “After it was indeed the Top 5 I knew the show must be rigged; I decided to distance myself from an organization who did not allow fair play and whose morals did not match my own.”
After Miss Georgia, Miss Rhode Island, Miss Nevada, Miss Ohio and Miss Maryland completed the Q&A round, Olivia Culpo from Rhode Island was crowned the winner.
Miss Universe Organization, which is co-owned by NBC and Donald Trump, confirmed Sheena Monnin had resigned – but gave very different reasons.
“In an email to state pageant organizers, she cited the Miss Universe Organizations’ policy regarding transgendered contestants, implemented two months ago, as the reason for her resignation,” the statement said.
“Today she has changed her story by publicly making false accusations claiming that the pageant was fixed, however the contestant she privately sourced as her reference has vehemently refuted her most recent claim.”
The statement went on: “We are disappointed that she would attempt to steal the spotlight form Olivia Culpo of Rhode Island on her well-deserved Miss USA win.”
Sheena Monnin, this year Miss Pennsylvania, has sensationally resigned from her position, claiming that the weekend's Miss USA 2012 pageant was rigged
In the email written on Monday by Miss Universe Organization, Sheena Monnin wrote that she was resigning.
She said: “I refuse to be part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it.
“This goes against ever moral fiber of my being. I believe in integrity, high moral character, and fair play, none of which are part of this system any longer.”
These sentiments echo her first Facebook post – before she qualified her story.
It is not the first time a Miss USA contestant has raised eyebrows with her prejudiced views. In 2009, Carrie Prejean, representing California, was asked if she believed every state should legalize same-sex marriage.
Carrie Prejean responded: “I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman.”
After Sheena Monnin posted the claims on Facebook, fans and friends commended her resignation, congratulating her for “taking the high road” and thanking her for telling the truth.
But she was also labeled a bad loser by others, including Miss USA 2010 winner Rima Fakih.
“To Miss Pennsylvania 2012,” Rima Fakih wrote on Twitter.
“So you didn’t win or place in Miss USA last night but don’t you dare disrespect my organization! Maybe that’s y u lost.”
The pageant named Olivia Culpo, a 20-year-old cellist, the winner after she made it clear that she embraced all beauty queens – transgender or otherwise – during the interview portion.
In the dreaded final question round, Olivia Culpo was faced with the most difficult question of the night: Would it be fair for a person born a man to be named Miss Universe after becoming a woman?
Olivia Culpo never stumbled as she embraced the Miss Universe Organization’s recent decision to admit transgender contestants.
“I do think that would be fair,” she said.
“But I could understand how people could be apprehensive to take that road.”
Miss Iowa USA Rebecca Hodge was named Miss Congeniality, and Miss Oregon USA Alaina Bergsma was named the most photogenic. They both won $1,000, but didn’t make the top 16.
Miss USA 2011 Alyssa Campanella crowned her successor at the end of the night.
Olivia Culpo will represent the United States at the 61st Miss Universe pageant later this year. An American has not been named Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.
THE ORGANISATION LACKS MORALS: MISS PENNSYLVANIA’S CLAIMS
On her Facebook page, Sheena Monnin wrote:
“I have decided to resign my position as Miss Pennsylvania USA 2012. Effective immediately I have voluntarily, completely, and utterly removed myself from the Miss Universe Organization.
“In good conscience I can no longer be affiliated in any way with an organization I consider to be fraudulent, lacking in morals, inconsistent, and in many ways trashy. I do not support this system in any way. In my heart I believe in honesty, fair play, a fair opportunity, and high moral integrity, none of which in my opinion are part of this pageant system any longer.
“Thank you all for your support and understanding as I walk a road I never dreamed I’d need to walk, as I take a stand I never dreamed I’d need to take.
“After 10 years of competing in a pageant system I once believed in, I now completely and irrevocably separate myself in every way and on every level from the Miss Universe Organization. I remove my support completely and have turned in the title of Miss Pennsylvania USA 2012.”
Sheena Monnin later qualified her remarks by adding:
“Many people have sent me messages requesting and at times demanding that I come forward if I know information that has led to my abrupt and surprising resignation.
“I agree that it is my moral obligation to state what I witnessed and what I know to be true. I will relay to you the reasoning behind my resignation.
“I witnessed another contestant who said she saw the list of the Top 5 BEFORE THE SHOW EVER STARTED proceed to call out in order who the Top 5 were before they were announced on stage.
“Apparently the morning of June 3rd she saw a folder lying open to a page that said <<FINAL SHOW Telecast, June 3, 2012>> and she saw the places for Top 5 already filled in. Thinking she was just seeing a rehearsal fake top 5 from a previous day she walked away, then realized that it had without a doubt been labeled as the Final Show Telecast, June 3rd.
“After the Top 16 were called and we were standing backstage she hesitantly said to me and another contestant that she knew who the Top 5 were. I said <<who do you think they will be?>>. She said that she didn’t <<think>> she <<knew>> because she saw the list that morning. She relayed whose names were on the list. Then we agreed to wait and see if that was indeed the Top 5 called that night.
“After it was indeed the Top 5 I knew the show must be rigged; I decided at that moment to distance myself from an organization who did not allow fair play and whose morals did not match my own.
“That is all I know about this. If this contestant would like to step forward as an eye witness and as being the one who saw the sheet with the Top 5 already selected before the judges ever saw the Top 16, then perhaps action can be taken. As for me, I believe her words and I will not encourage anyone to compete in a system that in my opinion and from what I witnessed is dishonest.”
Sheena Monnin’s email, according to Miss Universe Organization:
“I am officially and irrevocably resigning the title of Miss Pennsylvania USA 2012. I refuse to be part of a pageant system that has so far and so completely removed itself from its foundational principles as to allow and support natural born males to compete in it.
“This goes against ever moral fiber of my being. I believe in integrity, high moral character, and fair play, none of which are part of this system any longer.
“I hereby return the title of Miss Pennsylvania USA 2012.”
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