Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks to Texas state troopers and guardsmen at the South Texas International Airport, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Edinburg, Texas. Eric Gay/AP

Trump’s friendly interview sparks outrage as former president steps up courting Latino voters

Eden Villalovas November 20, 05:28 PM November 20, 05:28 PM Video Embed

Univision, the largest provider of Spanish-language content in the United States, is facing backlash over a seemingly positive shift toward former President Donald Trump following its recent interview with him from his Mar-a-Lago residence.

Airing one day after the third Republican presidential debate, which Trump was absent from, Mexican American journalist Enrique Acevedo conducted a one-on-one interview that spanned over an hour.

TRUMP AND SMITH LAWYERS TO FIGHT OVER GAG ORDER IN MONDAY’S ORAL ARGUMENTS

The former president’s interview on Nov. 9 has been widely regarded as nonconfrontational, as the host did not push back on remarks like Trump claiming Mexico did pay for the wall by giving the U.S. thousands of troops along the border. Mexico has not paid for the partial border wall built by Trump during his presidency.

Backlash in the Latino community against Univision sparked following the “softball” interview, and members across industries are condemning the network. The View co-host Ana Navarro called the interview “ridiculous” and “embarrassing” in a video statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday. “It was an interview with no pushback,” Navarro, a Republican commentator who was the national Hispanic co-chair for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, said. She called the interview “a love fest.”

“To see the largest network, the most important network in the Latino community, Univision, giving this man a one-hour platform where there was no pushback, there was a ton of smiling faces. There were references by Donald Trump during the interview to his friends who were there from Univision, Univision executives. It’s raised a lot of questions,” Navarro said.

John Leguizamo, a Colombian actor and producer, posted a video to Instagram on Thursday calling on his fellow entertainers, athletes, activists, and politicians to boycott the network.

“I just found out that Univision canceled all of Biden’s ads and are softballing Trump. They only want to put Trump on, so Univision is becoming MAGAVision,” Leguizamo said. “I’m not asking for them to take off Trump. I’m just asking for parity, for equality and equity.”

Univision ad representatives told the Biden campaign that ads already paid for airing in Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Florida during the Trump interview had been canceled, the Washington Post reported.

After a barrage of criticism against the network, Leon Krauze, a news anchor for Univision and its Los Angeles TV station, resigned after over a decade.

Latino voters play a meaningful role in presidential elections, and before the wave of backlash from the Latino community, Trump showed to be faring well among this key voting group.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

In 2020, Biden won over 70% of black and Hispanic voters, but new numbers indicate the Latino voting bloc may be less enthusiastic about the president’s reelection. According to a CNN poll released this month, Trump is close to closing the gap, as 50% of Latino voters favor Biden, compared to 46% for the former president.

The Washington Examiner reached out to Trump’s team and Univision for comment.

© 2023 Washington Examiner

NewsRead More