To hear Jorge Ramos tell it, since launching his candidacy for President back in June 2015, Donald Trump has done nothing but issue a blanket condemnation of unauthorized Mexican immigrants to the U.S. as “criminals, rapists and drug traffickers.”
Ramos’ chronic misrepresentations and mischaracterizations of what the Republican presidential frontrunner has said on the subject - including ignoring multiple attenuating statements made by Trump since the day of his announcement speech – was the subject of much of Ramos’ most recent record-breaking appearance on Hannity.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: …you characterize it as Donald Trump said all people and that's false, sir. That's not true.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: No. Donald Trump said, Donald Trump said that Mexican immigrants --
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: Some.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: were criminals, rapists and drug traffickers. And that's absolutely wrong.
During the exchange, Ramos attempted to turn the tables, by questioning Hannity’s record of asking tough questions of Trump. Hannity defended himself on this score, while continuing to denounce Ramos for equating Trump’s immigration policy as “racist.”
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: You gotta think twice about throwing that racist word around and if you’re going to quote me or quote Trump or quote anybody, please do it accurately in the future before you lecture us on how to do journalism.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: Well, I have, I have, I have the transcript of your forum with Donald Trump, March 9th, it’s right here.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: That’s one interview. Go back and look at all my other interviews. I've asked him about those comments numerous times.
Though it was like pulling teeth, by the end of the exchange Hannity did succeed in getting Ramos to admit that crime – including rape – by disturbing numbers of people who are not even supposed to be in the country is a real problem.
The exchange also demonstrated that while Ramos claims he is “just reporting what Donald Trump says” – he has been far from doing just that, by both twisting or deliberately omitting numerous Trump statements.
Perhaps this pattern will change when Trump finally sits down, as promised (“you and I will talk. We’ll going to be talking a lot over the years”) for a forthcoming and much-awaited Ramos-Trump interview.
Transcript below of relevant cited portions from the March 23 edition of Hannity:
SEAN HANNITY, FOX: …Why don't you report it honestly and then give your opinion?
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: I'm just, I'm simply reporting what Donald Trump has been saying…
SEAN HANNITY, FOX: That's not true.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: and when he says that Mexican immigrants, when he says that Mexican immigrants --
SEAN HANNITY, FOX: Some.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: are criminals, drug traffickers and rapists
SEAN HANNITY, FOX: Some.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: He’s absolutely wrong.
…
SEAN HANNITY, FOX: …you characterize it as Donald Trump said all people and that's false, sir. That's not true.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: No. Donald Trump said, Donald Trump said that Mexican immigrants --
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: Some.
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: were criminals, rapists and drug traffickers.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: And some are
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: And that's absolutely wrong.
…
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: I saw your forum on March 9 in North Carolina. You had an hour with Donald Trump. More than 30 questions and comments. Not even once did you challenge Donald Trump on the largest mass deportations, on banning 1.5 billion Muslims simply because of their religion
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: I've asked him that in prior interviews. If you’d watch my show regularly you would have seen that I've asked the question. I've asked the question!
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: or or even even criticizing him for his sexist remarks on women. You didn’t even ask for an apology for your colleague Megyn, Megyn Kelly
…
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS: …Last question. Is it true people that people that have entered this country illegally and not respected our laws and sovereignty, have people come over from the border and have they committed rape, have they committed murder? Have they committed crimes against Americans? And do you doubt what the law enforcement and Border Patrol told me about Texas alone in an eight-year period 642,000 crimes? Is that true that those crimes are happening? Do you recognize that truth or not?
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISION: I am not here to defend any criminals. I'm sure that some immigrants commit crimes.
