Donald Trump to sue Univision for 'hundreds of millions of dollars,' lawyer says

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

That didn't take long: Just hours after Univision announced it will not air the Miss USA pageant due to "insulting remarks" Donald Trump made about Mexican immigrants, a lawyer for Trump said he plans to sue the Spanish-language television network for hundreds of millions of dollars.

"We intent to pursue all rights and remedies available to Mr. Trump pursuant to the terms of the license agreement as well as a defamation case against Univision," Michael Cohen, executive vice president and special counsel to Trump, told Reuters. "The lawsuit is going to be for hundreds of millions of dollars." Trump, who is part-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, lowered that number a bit when he spoke with Fox News, saying, "Of course I have a signed contract: five years. They have to pay me almost $15 million."

During his presidential campaign announcement, Trump called Mexican immigrants "rapists" responsible for bringing drugs and crimes over the border, and said a wall needs to be built between the U.S. and Mexico. In a statement, Trump said the Mexican government is behind Univision's decision, angry that he brought to light problems between the two countries. "Mexican leadership has been doing serious damage to the United States by out-negotiating our representatives and political leaders," he said.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.