Veteran Univision anchor Jorge Ramos ripped his network over an interview with former President Trump this month he dubbed too “friendly.”
Ramos wrote in a column that the interview “put in doubt the independence of our news department” and remarked that journalists have an obligation to ask hard questions to powerful figures when given the opportunity.
“We cannot normalize behavior that threatens democracy and the Hispanic community, or offer Trump an open microphone to broadcast his falsehoods and conspiracy theories,” Ramos said. “We must question and fact-check everything he says and does.”
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Trump’s Univision interview featured little pushback on his history of anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic policy and rhetoric, from the opening of his presidential campaign — when he referred to Mexicans as “rapists” — to recent reports that a second Trump term would include unprecedented mass deportations.
The interview comes a year after Univision, an American Spanish-language network, merged with Mexican media giant Grupo Televisa, which holds close ties to the Mexican government and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, The Washington Post reported.
The interview shocked the news landscape and generated mass criticism, as the network previously covered Trump critically.
“We cannot surrender our responsibility to ask hard and precise questions,” Ramos said. “That’s what journalism is for. These journalistic principles apply to everyone.”
Trump lashed out against Ramos on the 2016 campaign trail, demanding he be removed after asking critical questions during an Iowa campaign stop. His campaign later smeared Univision as “leftist propaganda.”
The interview also received backlash from actor John Leguizamo this week during his guest host spot on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
“I don’t know what’s more shocking, that Univision gave Trump a softball interview, or that Trump let a Latin guy into his house,” Leguizamo said.
Leguizamo went after Univision for what he said was a failure “to fully report what a second Trump presidency could mean for them.”
“And the truth is, is that that s–t is mad [scary],” he continued.
Univision CEO Wade Davis defended the interview in a memo to staff this week.
“The interview with former President Trump was the first in 22 years of a current or former Republican President. There have been many interviews of a current or former Democratic President over that same period,” he wrote, according to The Los Angeles Times. “Further, we have offered, and welcome, an interview with President Biden on reciprocal terms and believe our viewers would greatly appreciate hearing from the President.”
Ramos made clear that while he had no problem with interviewing Trump, any interview must include the hard questions that an audience wants to have answered.
“Democracy is something that must be defended every day. And for journalists, the way to do that is to ask questions,” he said. “Even if it hurts. Even if it makes someone uncomfortable. Silence almost never makes for good journalism.”