Donald Trump is firing back at Univision, saying he’ll sue the Spanish-language broadcaster in response to the network deciding against airing the Miss USA pageant.
The presidential candidate sparked outrage during his announcement speech on Jun. 16, for calling Mexican immigrants rapists and drug lords. Despite the anger, Trump says he has an iron clad deal with the network and is vowing to sue if Univision doesn’t air the Miss USA pageant.
“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,” Trump’s New York-based attorney Michael Cohen said Thursday in a statement issued to TheWrap. Cohen added: “I am at this moment finalizing the retainer agreement with outside counsel.”
Univision announced earlier Thursday that it “will not be … working on any other projects tied to the Trump Organization.” The entertainment group explained that includes no longer airing the July 12 Miss USA pageant as planned.
“At Univision, we see first-hand the work ethic, love for family, strong religious values and the important role Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans have had and will continue to have in building the future of our country,” the company concluded.
Univision did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on Trump’s legal threat.
Itay Hod contributed to this report.