Univision anchor Jorge Ramos has made it clear he doesn’t think Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is good for the country.
Does that mean he’d agree to sit out the GOP forum that Univision and the Washington Post will co-host in March?
In June, the Post announced that it was partnering with Spanish-Language Univision for a forum that would feature GOP presidential candidates. “We will delve into their lives, how they relate to the candidates and how the candidates relate to them,” said Washington Post Managing Editor Kevin Merida in a statement at the time.
But since then, Ramos, the network’s most high-profile anchor, has clashed with Trump over immigration policy. And on Sunday, Ramos said Trump was “promoting bigotry” with his anti-illegal immigration rhetoric.
Ramos is an open advocate of legal protections for illegal immigrants. Should he be selected to participate as a moderator, it could raise questions over whether Trump would receive a fair shake at the forum.
A spokesperson for the Washington Post told the Washington Examiner media desk that a moderator for the event has not been picked yet. She did not respond to the question of whether Ramos is a potential option.
It is a similar conflict that arose in May when it was revealed that ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos had donated money to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s nonprofit Clinton Foundation. Because of a perceived bias, Stephanopoulos said he would not moderate a GOP debate planned for February.
Trump’s move led to a split within the press over who was right, and who was wrong. Several reporters accused Ramos of grandstanding and using the press conference to make Trump look bad.
“I have a right to ask a question,” Ramos said as he was being removed.
“No you don’t,” Trump shot back. “You haven’t been called. Go back to Univision.”
But others in the press defended Ramos and said the event would end up hurting Republicans in the election next year.
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof declared, “When Donald Trump’s security kicked Jorge Ramos out, Trump might as well have told Hispanics: Don’t vote Republican.”
Representatives for Trump and Univision did not return requests for comment.
