Dem: 'Dump Trump' as 'SNL' host

The Hill

By Mark Hensch

October 20, 2015

Dem: 'Dump Trump' as 'SNL' host 

Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) is lobbying to keep Donald Trump from hosting "Saturday Night Live" next month.

Gutiérrez sent Comcast and NBCUniversal a letter Tuesday urging them to drop the GOP front-runner from the Nov. 7 show.

“Having Donald Trump as a guest on every news and entertainment program is one thing, but allowing him to host ‘Saturday Night Live’ is another,” he wrote.

“It is a level of endorsement that says to America that every hateful and racist thing Donald Trump has said since the moment he launched his campaign is acceptable, no big deal,” Gutiérrez added.

“I think I speak for a lot of Americans, especially immigrant Americans and Latino Americans, when I say that if ‘SNL’ is allowed to proceed, it would be a huge corporate blunder."

Gutiérrez argued that NBC’s invite is confusing given it previously dropped Trump from his reality show "The Apprentice" over his immigration rhetoric earlier this summer.

“The reaction from NBC in July was swift and clear,” he said.

“Three months later, because he is a ratings and comedy bonanza, Lorne Michaels and ‘Saturday Night Live’ are giving the Trump campaign 90 minutes of free network airtime,” the lawmaker added of the "SNL" creator and his series.

“Make a statement: Derogatory statements of the nature trumpeted by Trump about any group disqualifies someone from hosting shows on your network,” he told Comcast CEO Brian Rogers and NBCUniversal CEO Stephen Burke.

“Send a message that racism is not funny and that responsibility to your viewers and the public is more important than ratings. Please do the right thing and dump Trump.”

Trump has repeatedly sparked international outrage for his harsh criticism of illegal immigrants and Mexico on the 2016 campaign trail.

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” invite has drawn fierce condemnation from Hispanic advocacy organizations, with the National Council for La Raza (NCLR) and the Hispanic Leadership Agenda pushing for Trump's removal.

Trump has countered that the groups are merely profiting off the attention his appearance would likely bring.

“I think they’ll only drive the ratings up higher,” he said of the furor over his upcoming gig.

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