I really don’t know how much Donald Trump stuff you guys want me to cover. It’s true that he’s a “celebrity” and everything that’s happening is very media/pop culture/politics/gossip, but at the end of the day, Trump is just a crazy old bigot, a liar, a fraud and a famewhore. Everything that comes out of his mouth should be ignored. There are even many people in the Republican party who want Trump gone – they don’t want him in the debates, they believe he’s a sideshow, that he brings nothing to the table politically other than “crazy.”
So, for now, I’ll cover him. I enjoy the fact that the Republican chickens have come home to roost and I enjoy that every time Trump opens his mouth, another Independent voter thinks, “Hm, maybe Bernie Sanders is the candidate for me.” So, after Univision dumped Trump’s Miss USA and Miss Universe properties, NBCUniversal did the same, cutting ties completely with Trump, it seems. These are media giants who want nothing to do with the Trump Crazy Train. But since Donald Trump is Donald Trump, he will not go quietly into that good night. He’s now suing Univision. Probably because they’re a Spanish-language network and “they’re rapists.”
Donald Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, is suing Univision. The Spanish-language TV network dropped its coverage of Miss USA and Miss Universe — two beauty pageants that Trump co-owns — because of Trump’s remarks about Mexican immigrants during his presidential campaign announcement on June 16. NBCUniversal also dropped the pageant programming. NPR’s Andrew Limbong reports that Trump is seeking $500 million, and that in the suit, Trump claims Univision is attempting to suppress his freedom of speech.
Here’s an excerpt from The Trump Organization’s statement:
“Under the contract, Univision is required to broadcast the pageant live on television in Spanish. While Univision claims its decision came solely in response to comments by Mr. Trump during a June 16 campaign speech announcing his candidacy for President of the United States, the decision was, in reality, a politically motivated attempt to suppress Mr. Trump’s freedom of speech under the First Amendment as he begins to campaign for the nation’s presidency.”
In an email to Politico, Univision spokesperson Monica Talan called the complaint “both factually false and legally ridiculous.” She adds:
“We will not only vigorously defend the case, but will continue to fight against Mr. Trump’s ongoing efforts to run away from the derogatory comments he made on June 16th about Mexican immigrants. Our decision to end our business relationship with Mr. Trump was influenced solely by our responsibility to speak up for the community we serve.”
What’s funny to me – and this is how you know Trump doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on – is that Trump is making this into a free-speech issue rather than a contractual issue. It was possible that Univision and Trump might have had a contractual problem that could be adjudicated through legal channels. But Trump’s argument is basically “The First Amendent gives me the right to be a crazy bigot AND show my beauty pageants on Spanish-language television!!!” For the record, Trump can say whatever he wants. And Univision has the right to be offended and call him out on his bigotry.
Trump also appeared on Bill O’Reilly’s show yesterday. Do you really want me to excerpt the crazy? You can read some stuff here.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Donald Trump is an ahole. Between the Bristol post and now this, I am convinced the republican party are full of crazy.
Better than being a party of crooks
There is a fair number of crooks in the Republican party as well. Or shall we overlook Dennis Hastert’s recent indictment?
Nope, they’re crooks too.
Definitely crooks. They’re flag waving, ‘Murican crooks. For Jesus.
Ha! @aims, ITA. Both are blathering fools in a party lead by blathering fools.
I think there are legitimate issues raised by the Republican party (whoa!), but the GOP lunatic fringe and their “word salads” completely derail those concerns. Also, they keep trying to legislate morality, which never works and shouldn’t be done anyway. If they would stop trying to tell people how to live their lives and just focus on issues of actual governance, I would be more interested in hearing what they have to say.
I echo your sentiment.
And stop claiming to be the party of fiscal responsibility while continually wasting my tax dollars repeatedly voting for legislation that will never survive a veto or bringing frivolous lawsuits against the President or spending a whole day reading Dr. Seuss books on the Senate floor, instead of voting on meaningful legislation, while failing to grasp the basic meaning of those very same Dr. Seuss books.
What LilacFlowers! They were reading Dr. Seuss books on the Senate floor? Those books are easy reads so it’s astounding to me that they could not learn the massage of these books.
This is true, but until they grow a pair and collectivelŷ assemble and take back their party from the Teabaggers, it is basically game over. I’ve never seen such a display of unforced errors (off of a tennis court) as I did at that Trump speech.
As a democrat, I’m glad jerks like Trump and the whole Palin family are in the spotlight. It just reminds the public of the type of thinking you can expect from the republican party.
I’ve discovered it’s the proliferate fumes in RV parks that have cultivated senseless republican neurological sputtering.
Speaking of douches…..
King Douche has now arrived to show all you amateurs how it’s done! Listen up Bristol, Iggy, etc….. You too can reach Douchetasticness if you study the Master Douche!
(but I think you all have a pretty good handle on it already.)
Uhm, Univision is a business, not a government entity. Businesses can restrict speech, in fact, businesses must restrict speech in the workplace or face charges of violating the EEOA, the ADA, and other federal statutes.
As a businessman, Trump should know that. Who is drafting this lawsuit for him, his youngest kid?
like everything with him, it’s all bluster and self-promotion.
$500 million? even if he had a case, that’s a ridiculously inflated number.
though, he probably needs it as his finances ain’t what he portrays them to be.
He’s very fortunate he still has some orange leather stretched under the combover & across his temple… elsewise, that pointed finger would have shot straight through to the other ear.
You took the words right out of my mouth. For someone who wants to be president, he sure as Hell doesn’t understand the Bill of Rights, does he?
He’s doing it to pander to the people who he thinks will vote for him. The people who really do think undocumented people are rapists and criminals and ruining America. IMO, anyway.
He’s one of many people who need to brush up on what “freedom of speech” actually means.
I feel like it’s not that hard to understand? And yet here we are.
I’m a lawyer and I would draft it for him. I would also charge him $2-3000/hour to do it. And then I would sit around the conference room laughing about what an idiot he is (while also of course billing him for that time)
Trump’s bigoted lunacy could fund a hundred actually deserving cases.
Really, to do this right, you want to come on here and spend a little of that time sharing his douchebaggery with us while you’re at it. Bill him for that time too, then, we all have prosecco and canapés (billed), then send him the total bill.
“Washington (CNN)Donald Trump is outpolling all other Republican candidates in New Hampshire except for Jeb Bush.”
We are in SUCH deep… yogurt.
My sister lives in New Hampshire, is polled constantly, and gives what she thinks is the most ridiculous answer. My cousin does the same. So, I don’t put much faith in NH polls until they actually vote.
I can’t stand this bigot. I’d rather watch a turd dry up in the sun, than Donald Trump.
LOL!
Wow, never heard that expression before. Sound like something my Uncle Pole Cat would say. 🙂
“I’d rather watch a turd dry up in the sun…”
Well once he heads outside you kind of can.
Very presidential.
Bwahaha. Right? Can’t you just see him at some delicate political negotiations process??!! “BOMB THEM, BOMB THEM ALL”
L O L that is exactly how I picture him too. Also lots of “What-it-a-stan?!? Where is that???”
Keep covering the crazy! It’s a train wreck I can’t look away from. “Trump 2016: We Shall Over Comb”
I almost spit out my tea onto my keyboard reading this … ” we shall over comb” … HA HA HA HA HA HA YES
A+
Between the orange spray tan, the thick foundation and the combover I can honestly say this man is a hot mess.
Cackling in the office right now. Good thing I’m alone.
That was truly amazing. LOL!!
It’s all very moving. The hair, that is.
Thank you for a good belly laugh.
OMG…standing ovation. Cheers. All of it!
Sigh. Anyone else old enough to remember when “Bloom County” was taking the piss out of this guy back in the 80s? Because that’s where Trump should have stayed. He should be a triple-stumper in an “80s Has-Beens” category on Jeopardy, not a presidential candidate in 2015.
Those were the days, Ronald-Ann vs. Trump. Time for a visit to the used book shop to load up on old Bloom County.
loved me some Bloom County…
Bill the Cat for Prez! ACK!
But before he had Trump’s brain transplanted into his body. 😉
My prized possession is a stuffed Bill the Cat.
Waving my stuffed Opus at bluhare’s Bill the Cat.
I love you all…
ACK! THBBTT! <3
He is the driver of the clown bus and he is entertaining if nothing else. The other occupants of the bus are going to have to go full monty to keep up with his antics and get some attention.
He’s so diplomatic, he’d make a great president or secretary of state.
If he was president, he’d probably start international boycotts on countries that don’t allow him to build everything he wants in their countries.
He’s obviously not a person who cares about the general welfare of everybody else besides himself.
When he made his comments akin to ‘they’re rapists and ruining our country’ right after the news reported that’s what Dylann Roof had said too, I thought he was crazy to look like he was piggy-backing on Roof and his ideology.
If he says he didn’t know he was making the same type of comment that Roof said, then how is he, as a presidential candidate, not up to date with the biggest news story in the country? How insulated is he?
@dibba
That’s irony on your part, right?
He is the gift that just keeps on giving!
Do you find that he is kind of taking on the crazy Hitler-esque mannerisms and expressions at the podium? I can almost hear his speech in German. Thank God no one is taking him seriously like they did with Hitler.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00441/news-graphics-2007-_441197a.jpg
No Godwin, please, I’m German! 😀
You’re right though, it seems he tried out his performance and how he wants to be perceived in front of a mirror.
Too bad the mirror seems distorted and smudgy.
It wasn’t about Germans. Every society has fallen to bad leadership at varying degrees. It was about him crafting his crazed mannerisms, and yes, I know Godwin, but…
In that top picture he looks like a constipated chipmunk.
so after reading your comment I went back to check … and he really does!!
I thought he said he was the one who terminated the contract? What happened to that?
My brother sent me a picture of Trump with a suggested campaign slogan of “We Shall Overcomb.” Lol
HAHA. Your brother is great.
He is a doll.
Don’t tell me. Is he the secret FAKE BABY, with all the charisma!?
Ha! No, I regretted my choice of words immediately. He is a fine person, I should have said.
As a Mexican American I’m so offended. Mexico has a actually decided to not send their miss mexico to compete in the pageant.
El Salvador and Venezuela also. Colombia decided to withdraw to look for being the hosting city next year. Also Roselyn Sanchez and Christian de la Fuente canceled their appearances as host, and so did a Colombian singer.
¡Latinos unidos!
See this is how it is done. YOU show your solidarity. And Change happens. When people come together this way. You can make changes. Non violent. Just use the power you have.
Wow Venezuela did? And I thought they were really into it as a nation. What a great message, I’m really glad they did that.
Tonight in a park in Brooklyn a flag burning protest is scheduled. The protesters view it as a sign of oppression. I and countless others who have either grown up with it or have made it symbolic of their dream to live in this nation view it much differently. It is a sign of freedom that is uniquely ours and highly coveted by others. Yes, there is something here that we have called free speech. Those that are planning on spewing hatred tonight are cloaked under that freedom which is allowing their protest to happen. It’s incredibly sad as a NYer to think that after 9/11 the city was covered in flags as a sign of patriotism and solidarity, and now that same flag will be burned and stomped on. I find their planned actions extremely offensive, but our freedom covers the good the bad and the ugly. Donald Trump has a right to voice his opinions as he is covered under that same freedom like it or not.
What does this have to do with his cockamamie idea to sue a PRIVATE company? You think your boss can’t fire you if you call him a rapist and criminal in public, for no cause? Univision is NOT THE GOV’T.
You obviously have a problem with anything I say. Whatever. You and I don’t agree and that’s fine. I really used to enjoy coming to this site. It was fun to comment and read comments on celebs and the things they wear, say and do. More serious topics are being discussed at a greater frequency here and if you dare speak out against the majority or have an opinion different than the rest the insulting and pile on begin. No, I don’t share your views but they are your views as I have mine. I do not come on here and insult people, that’s not my way. You choose to keep coming back at me for stating what I feel. It’s wrong because it doesn’t comply with your thoughts. I wasn’t aware we all we supposed to think the same thoughts, not question things and sit down and hush up. I have read other commenters over the years complain about the same issue. The bullying, the pile on etc. Freedom of speech was mentioned in this post and I reacted to it. Somehow that makes me “absurd”. My point was that this is a nation where we are free to express ourselves and of course in doing that you felt the need to jump down my throat. If that makes you happy you go on with your bad self. Have a nice day.
Nicolette, it has zero to do with “speaking against the majority” and everything to do with having a valid point. and no one is insulting you, they’re merely pointing out the flaw in your argument. your “view” seems to be based on flawed logic regarding what freedom of speech entails.
yes, Trump has freedom to say what he wants. no one is disputing that. but your post implied that A) people were saying he’s not allowed to speak his mind or are trying to prevent him from doing so (both false) and B) when he does speak his mind, that he should be immune from consequence.
I think everyone on here agrees that he has the right to say what he wants, but we also agree that there are sometimes consequences for saying what you want. his statements, which he has every right to express, have disgusted a LOT of people, including those in business with him, and those business partners have the right to terminate the partnership based on those statements. No one is required to give him a platform on which to speak.
Nicolette, I sincerely did not realize that I had responded to you multiple times. I’m not trying to be mean, but I really don’t remember interacting with you before.
My ‘absurd’ point was actually directed at Trump. I suppose I should have explained freedom of speech as was done carefully by other commenters, but I guess I thought, since we’ve been over it so many times, private versus governmental standards, that everyone was pretty much up to speed on it. It’s really not opinion-based, as far as what freedom of speech entails. Here’s a quick summation definition: The right, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to express beliefs and ideas without unwarranted government restriction. There are caveats to this, even within public space and even in regard to government placing limitations on this speech within special circumstances
I do not wish for you to be pushed away from this site, and I apologize for destroying your enjoyment of it. I guess my over-zealousness in regard to Trump’s obvious, intentional mis-use of ‘freedom of speech’ seemed directed squarely at you.
ETA: I will try to make note of you in the future, and not respond.
I think Kiddo is responding to the suggestion that freedom of speech does not equal a merited lawsuit. No ones denying he doesn’t have the freedom to spout his ridiculous notions but Univision rightly has the freedom to take exception and respond by canceling or better yet ” you’re fired!”
@Nicolette:
1.This is not really a free speech issue, this is a self-absorbed entitled bigot issue. Trump (and his ilk/defenders) honestly believe that free-speech is this one-sided thing where people have the right to spew whatever bigotry they please to the public….. without anyone else exercising their right to free speech by criticizing them, discontinuing any business dealings with them, or deciding that they will not allow them to represent their brand. People are under the delusion that they are entitled to have the social and economic support of people who disagree with their bigoted 1950’s opinions on any subject, “because that’s the American way.” Sorry, but that’s not reality.
2.) Please stop martyring yourself. Not a single person here is ‘bullying’ you or in any way persecuting you “for having a minority opinion”, they are disagreeing with you and criticizing what you said. I thought you supported free speech?
3.) The opinion that people should be free to say discriminatory things about races or ethnicities lower on society’s hierarchy than them is not a minority opinion, it’s an opinion that has been the norm for many centuries and has been shaping societies and how those groups of people have been treated for just as long.
Have a nice day. 🙂
He has the freedom to express his opinion, sure, but he is not free from the consequences of that speech. I can be fired from my job for saying any number of things. The first amendment refers to government activity- it doesn’t give you any protection from everyone else thinking you’re an a-hole and treating you like it.
“Donald Trump has a right to voice his opinions as he is covered under that same freedom like it or not.”
…which has been acknowledged. also, his employer has the right to terminate his employment based on public statements.
I think you don’t really understand what the right to freedom of speech entails. as JK said, freedom of speech does NOT mean freedom from consequences of what you said.
Exactly.
@Nicolette, nobody is saying Trump doesn’t have the right to express his opinions. He does. And he is free to stand on any public street corner and express them. However, he has no right to expect any private company to broadcast his views. The corporation has the right to refuse to broadcast him or his products.
I agree with you! Freedom of speech is a constitutional right. Lets say I have a Taco stand and I start calling all my customers white trash, red necks, inbreed hilbillies, trailer trash, etc etc. Am I going to get arrested? Nope. Are my customers going to be angry at me and will stop doing business with me? Hell yes. Because among those customers that I just insulted there are doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists and CEOs. Few of them leave in a trailer park and even if they do I cant call them drug addict leeches if I can’t prove it.
I thought the First Amendment protected speech, in the way that the government doesn’t censor most things we say. I don’t see anything in the Constitution that protects badly toupeed a-holes from the the righteous consequences of their racist verbal diarrhea.
I think Scalia is adding it as an addendum, as we speak.
LOL~
You are correct. Free speech protections under the First Amendment prohibit the government from censoring speech (with exceptions such as yelling “fire” in a crowded movie theater). Private parties can discriminate on the basis of speech as much as they want.
I asked this question a while ago, to no avail.
Thank you for the answer.
The Bill of Rights doesn’t mean you can say anything you want with no consequences from those you offend. It just means political speech is protected against government action. We don’t have to do business with The Donald if we don’t wanna.
The thing blowhards like Trump never seem to get is that freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences. Say whatever you want, but then you have to live with the consequences.
I actually think he DOES know what it means, but he counts on his brainless followers to NOT know (as evidenced on here and other sites), and therefore garner more support for his truthiness.
I agree doofus.
Wish I could “like” all of your comments, readers! Some of these on-liners are hilarious!
Univision is a private company that had business ties with Trump, said company’s demographic is the Latino community. Trump spewed hate and racism towards the Latino community, so Univision HAD to cut ties with him. It’s almost like violating a morality clause, and free speech has nothing to do with it! It’s awesome that we live in a country where you can say a bunch of bullshit and you won’t be jailed, fined or stoned to death because your speech is protected. However that does NOT mean free of consequences. Carlos Slim also cut business ties with him, and Carlos Slim is a much much more powerful fish that trump will ever be.
I’d be ok if you covered zero Trump. He is just doing this for attention and it’s working.
People seem to be really confused about how this free speech thing works.
@Insomniac
Oh my gosh you are so right. I loved Bloom Bounty! I will never forgive myself for throwing my Bloom County Books away. Steve Dallas was my favorite character.
Macy’s just pulled all Trump merchandise. Is he going to sue Macy’s too?
Trump has merchandise? Velcro-Marmots?
LOL
Velcro-Marmots and orange skin coverings. All very tasteful, of course.
And instant comb-over spray-in-a-can hair.
THEY DID?!
HOORAY! I stopped shopping there because of their merchandising deal with him.
Good on ya, Macy’s.
Now Trump supporters are going to say that Macy’s and every store in the universe should be forced to sell Trump products.
I find him so repulsive, but he is strangely entertaining. What I don’t get is why he is so high in the polls. But even that makes me laugh because I picture how it frustrates his other competitors. I just hope he stays in until the debates; that should be fascinating. Blowhards gotta blow.
Why is it that Trump supporters think that he has a right to force his free speech onto the private sector against their will but that the latter isn’t allowed to express their free speech by choosing not to air Trump-related shows?
So does everybody who has an opinion have a ‘right’ to get on TV and say anything they want? If that’s true, then there’d be billions of people on TV 24/7 for the rest of eternity with no commercial breaks ever.
Would that mean every hate group has a right to force TV/cable networks to air their shows?
Trump isn’t the first person fired from TV for his personal activities, but he and his supporters are acting like he is and that he’s too special to be treated that way.
Nobody is stopping Trump from buying his own TV station and spouting whatever he wants 24/7. Nobody is stopping other networks from airing his shows.
Just as Trump gets to make his own decisions about what he allows in his corporations and from his employees, TV/cable networks are allowed to make the same kinds of decisions too.
If Trump is allowed to force himself onto other corporations that he doesn’t own, then is the vice versa allowed? Of is it just a one-way deal all in Trump’s favor?
“Just as Trump gets to make his own decisions about what he allows in his corporations and from his employees, TV/cable networks are allowed to make the same kinds of decisions too.”
yes, this, exactly. if one of his employees said “you know, every orange-skinned, toupee-wearing, misogynistic bigot named Trump is a rapist”, I think he’d feel within his rights to fire that employee.
I wish he would take his ignorant, racist, misogynistic, pompously pontificating, 1970s carpet remnant hair-patch wearing ratched self and STFU. I’m so glad Univision and NBC showed him the door and hopefully said please let the door knob hit ya where the good Lord split ya on your way out. Sorry for the rant.
Also heard that Macy’s dropped Trump. Where oh where will I get my hair products now?
you guys will be surprised how many people will vote for him. i used to think that he’s just a crazy famewhore, but now i’m starting to think that this guy knows exactly what he is doing. I don’t believe that he didn’t except the “backlash” he is getting after what he said. i actually think everything is going according to whatever plan he has in mind.
Well there will always be people in society that support that person that points to THEM as the cause of all things bad in this country. THEY are the reason we are not the greatest nation.. THOSE PEOPLE are destroying the country.
Trump is saying what they already believe.. and were waiting for the right person to spew it out loud.
Now they have found their Man..
My mom, a registered democrat (who swears she’s one because “they are for the poor,”) has said she’d vote for him. Because he’s “good with money.” She also likes how folksy and down to earth Sarah Palin is. I have to go cry now, because this isn’t a joke.
You need to show your mother how many bankruptcies he’s been responsible for.
You know what would be really awesome? If Mexico, Brazil, and other South American nations refused to send their national beauty pageant winners to the Miss Universe pageant, then other nations followed suit, and then those women were able to get other opportunities to pay for their college educations that did not involve competing in pageants. I mean, I’m all for body freedom and showing off your bod and all that, and I know they’re also required to display their intelligence and talent in the interview and talent segments…but ideally we’d live in a world where these women could have equal opportunity and get that scholarship money from somewhere else. Instead, if the pageant winners’ countries refused to participate in Trump’s pageants, the contestants would probably be deprived of an opportunity to pay for their educations. And that’s just sad.
Bogotá, Colombia, was going to host the next Miss Universe and the comitee just announced the cancellation. Miss Universe is a HUGE deal in Latin America. Huge. The last 5 Miss Universe have been from South America. Venezuela and Colombia always have their candidates as runner ups. As I said in my previous comment: You can not just called millions of people criminals and rapists. You can’t. Only a small percentage of Latinos are illegals and I was apalled and dazed by Trump’s comments. He is a very wealthy well traveled man and he knows the huge difference between, lets say, and white blonde blue eyed Argentinian and a Indigenous Mexican. Racists call us all Mexicans, its like calling the Vienamese/Cambodians/Japanese/Thailandese/Filipino: Chinese. The Asians might look alike to some people but they are ethnically and culturally different.
Something that really annoys me is that he gets to pretend that he is running for president and the GOP doesn’t have the courage to shut him down. Politics is already a sh*tshow with the candidates who are already running. I think it’s messed up that this rich guy just gets to come in and get media attention when he has zero actual intent on running. I wish some news station would just announce, “Trump said some stuff today about running for president, but we’ve decided not to cover it because we know it isn’t true and our viewers deserve real coverage of real candidates.” (Even if they are also pretty crazy. LOL.)
I dont know why the media keep saying he offended the Mexicans. Racists call all Latinos Mexicans, he said it very clear “Mexicans or anyone south the border and the Caribbean” : Brazilians, Argentinians, Colombians, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, etc etc. He said that we are all rapists/criminals/illegals/etc. Are there Americans living or visiting Latin America only to get cheap cocaine or have sex with teenagers? Hell yes. Are all of them doing it? Hell no. The petition on Change.org asking NBC to drop Trump’s shows got 218.000 signatures in 3 days until NBC released their statement. Univision/Telemundo/Televisa/NBC/Macys and There is a petition for Chevrolet. You can not just call criminals to millions of hard working tax payer citizens. Its Defamation. Good luck Republican Party (again) with the Latino vote. What a shame because most of us latinos are VERY conservative people.
God help America if he pairs up with Sarah Palin.
A presidential candidate who doesn’t actually understand how the First Amendment works. Lovely.