NBC cuts ties with Trump

NBC is cutting its ties with Donald Trump over the 2016 Republican presidential candidate’s recent remarks about immigrants.

“Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump,” the network said in a statement Monday.

NBC also said it would no longer air the “Miss USA” and “Miss Universe” pageants on its network, which are produced with Trump.

NBC made the announcement while Trump spoke during a packed campaign event in Chicago.

After the speech, Trump told reporters that he had a “great” relationship with NBC over the years and that his statements on immigration “happen to be correct.”

“I think as far as ending the relationship, I have to do that, because my view on immigration is much different from the people at NBC,” he said. “You cannot have … illegal immigration. You don’t have a country if you have that.”

“So I told NBC, I can’t change my stance,” Trump said.

The reality TV star acknowledged that it is difficult as a businessman to run for political office “because you are going to upset people.”

Republicans have worried that Trump’s presidential bid will become a bit of a sideshow, in an expansive GOP field with the most depth in recent memory.

NBC had faced pressure to formally cut ties with Trump amid the controversy over comments he made at his presidential launch event earlier this month.

{mosads}“They’re sending people who have a lot of problems,” Trump said of illegal immigration. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

The remarks prompted Cristian de la Fuenta, the Chilean actor scheduled to host this year’s Miss USA pageant, to quit. He described Trump as “a clown.”

NBC initially distanced itself from the real estate mogul, a longtime business partner, saying his comments “do not represent those of NBC.” 

That came after reports that Univision, the country’s largest Spanish-language network, would not air the beauty pageants produced by Trump.

But NBC continued to face pressure over its relationship with Trump, and a petition on the Change.org website asking the network to drop him over his remarks garnered more than 200,000 signatures as of Monday.

Trump has said he would not star in a new season of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” telling CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that he was giving up the spot to run for president.

This story was updated at 3:17 p.m.