ABOVE: Donald Trump says NBC is opposed to his presidential campaign because they want him to do another season of Celebrity Apprentice.
TORONTO — NBC announced Monday it will no longer be working with Donald Trump.
“Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump,” read a statement from the network.
NBC said the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants — co-owned by Trump — will no longer air on the network.
“At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values.”
The network is holding on to Celebrity Apprentice, but without Trump.
Speaking at an event Monday, Trump said it was his decision to sever ties with NBC.
NBCUniversal owns Telemundo, a popular Spanish network.
An online petition calling for NBC to dump Trump had more than 200,000 signatures. It was posted after Trump, who announced he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, lashed out at Mexicans for bringing drugs and crime to the U.S.
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At the time, NBC said only it does not agree with Trump’s positions “on a number of issues.”
His comments prompted Spanish-language network Univision to drop the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
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Colombian singer J Balvin also said he would not perform on the Miss USA pageant.
“He can no longer in good conscience agree to take part in an event that is overseen by, and creates a profit for Donald Trump, while Mr. Trump attacks the hard-working Latino immigrant community with hateful political rhetoric,” read a statement from the singer’s rep.
In an interview that aired on CNN on Sunday, Trump refused to change his tone. “You have people coming in, and I’m not just saying Mexicans, I’m talking about people that are from all over,” he said, “that are killers and rapists and they’re coming into this country.”
Trump also said he would force Mexico to pay for construction of a wall at the U.S. southern border.
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