Donald Trump doubles down on Mexico comments

Donald Trump is detailing his split from NBC and doubling down on his comments about immigration on Tuesday’s The O’Reilly Factor. In an interview with Bill O’Reilly on Fox News, the presidential candidate and TV personality reiterates his comments linking illegal immigrants and crime, as well as announces that he just filed suit against Univision for $500 million since the broadcaster dumped his Miss USA pageant. Trump also blasted NBC for having a sudden change of heart about their relationship, noting, “I’ve had the same rhetoric for years.”

Here’s Trump …

On whether Trump regrets his comments about Mexico:

“No, because it’s totally accurate and you should have let it play a little bit longer because it really covers it actually even a little bit better, but it’s totally accurate. The border is a disaster, Bill. People are pouring in and I mean illegal people, illegal immigrants, 300 and some odd thousand are in your state jails right now according to Homeland Security. I have the report right here. Homeland Security – over 300,000 are between the state and federal jails and penitentiaries in terms of rape. This is an amazing statistic, 80 percent of Central American women and girls are raped crossing into the U.S. Now 80 percent, that’s hard to believe even … This was written by Fusion, you know who Fusion is, it’s owned by Univision. It was also put out by Huffington Post. So Huffington Post and Fusion, 80 percent of central American women and girls are raped coming into the United States crossing the border. People say, ‘Oh would you change it?’ Absolutely I can’t change it. I love Mexican people, I have a tremendous relationship. I also respect Mexico but Mexico is doing a tremendous number against the United States — what they’re doing to us in trade. First of all they are killing us at the border, second of all, Bill, what they are doing to us in trade is unbelievable. They’re taking our jobs, they’re taking our manufacturing and they’re taking our money. I’m not angry at Mexico because frankly their representatives and leaders our smarter than ours. I’m angry at our country for having such bad negotiators and such bad leaders.”

On why NBCUniversal cut ties with him:

“Well, they were very angry with me because I wanted to run for president and I told them I would be running and as you know last season was a big season. The Apprentice has been an amazing success. We had very good ratings last season and they were not happy when I said ‘I’m running. ‘And then what happened is they said, ‘Alright you’ll run, but when you’re ready come see us, but I hope it’s soon.’ You know they renewed The Apprentice. They went out and renewed it and what happened is the other day I went up to number 2 in the polls so they see they’re not going to be getting me. Then they have people complaining about my rhetoric. Now I’ve had the same rhetoric for years, you know that. I’ve been fighting border security and I’ve been fighting trade more than anyone else I fight trade and not only with Mexico, with China, with everybody … I don’t even think they know themselves. I think they are weak and I think they are afraid of the issue at the border.”

On who he spoke with at NBCUniversal about the relationship ending:

“Top people. They called me. I don’t want to say. It will come out in litigation.”

On his lawsuit against Univision:

“Speaking of litigation, I just sued Univision for 500 million dollars. It was just filed. The papers were just filed so that will be interesting. Because Univision, I have a signed contract for five years on the pageants they have no right to terminate. They didn’t even send me a letter, they terminated with a PR statement. They called me also – one of the top people at Univision so apologetic, ‘Donald. we shouldn’t be doing this, I know that. We’ll pay you whatever money you need or whatever money you want.” They have a five-year contract without termination and they terminated with a PR statement so we just sued them for $500 million.”

On the Miss USA pageant:

“I’ll tell you something that’s really sad. Both on behalf of NBC and also Univision. We have 50 of the most lovely women you’ve ever seen right now in Louisiana and they have been abandoned by NBC and abandoned by Univision. And I’m going to work it out so that that show goes on, but they have been totally abandoned. Their parents are there, their families are there. These are fabulous young women. And NBC didn’t even think about that when they did it. I told them, ‘How can you do this to these wonderful women? I mean they are young women.’ And they have been crushed. I will tell you, it’s a very sad thing. They could have put this on so we are going to have the pageant anyway.”