Three big sports names ditch Trump, 'The Donald' shrugs
ESPN, PGA, and NASCAR are the latest entities to distance themselves from the Trump brand. But don't feel sorry for him, he says.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump talks to reporters as he arrives at a fundraising event at a golf course in the Bronx borough of New York, Monday.
Seth Wenig/AP
Three more companies have joined the slew of organizations dissociating from Donald Trump after his remarks made against Mexican immigrants continue to stir controversy. But before you start to feel sorry for him – don’t, he says.
In a statement released Tuesday, the real estate magnate moved to dismiss the cancellations of events by two other former clients, NASCAR and ESPN.
“Really? What were the losses?” wrote Mr. Trump. “One NASCAR banquet in a magnificent ballroom at Trump National Doral in Miami for which I will keep their very substantial deposit and rent the ballroom to someone else that night – in other words, two fees instead of one.”
Two fees instead of one, a reminder Trump repeated later in the statement, also chiding the press for covering the story “as though it was a major setback for me.”
“NASCAR has already apologized to me,” he crooned.
Trump acknowledged the loss of another deal, this time with the PGA of America, which moved its Grand Slam tournament from his golf club in Los Angeles. But the billionaire may be holding his breath to see whether other major championships will follow suit, reported The New York Times’ Brendan Prunty.
“I’ve been very loyal to golf,” Trump told the Times. “I own 17 clubs. They all do great. We will see whether or not golf is loyal to me.”
But Trump continues to publicly blast the other companies that were quick to disaffiliate after his comments last month crowned him “the Hispanic community’s most hated man,” wrote Jorge Ramos in an opinion piece for Fusion.
After Macy’s announced last week that it would no longer be carrying his menswear line, the presidential candidate took to Twitter to lambast the department store, accusing them of suppressing freedom of speech and retweeting customers who claimed they were canceling their cards.
Similarly, Trump also announced his filing of a $500 million lawsuit against Univision, which has said it will stop airing his long-running Miss USA pageant. "Give me a break! All of this because of my strong stance on illegal immigration during my run for President," he wrote Tuesday, before rattling off his signature slogan. "Make America Great Again!"
[Editor's note: The original version of this story misattributed a quote by Jorge Ramos.]