“Hispanic Conservatives Stand Up for Univision: Battling against Backlash Over Trump Interview

In recent weeks, Hispanic conservatives have come to the defense of Univision amid backlash over their interview with President Donald Trump. The controversy began when Spanish-language outlet Univision, which reaches an estimated 103 million people in the U.S. and Latin America, published an interview with Trump on July 16th, 2020. During the interview, Trump raised a range of controversial topics, from immigration to the coronavirus. The remarks were widely criticized and sparked a fierce backlash against Univision. In response to the backlash, a small but vocal group of Hispanic conservatives has come to Univision’s defense. These activists argue that the backlash against Univision serves to undermine their credibility as a legitimate media outlet and threatens their ability to provide important information to the Hispanic population. Leading the charge are Latino conservative groups such as the Hispanic Leadership Fund and the Libre Initiative. These organizations have issued statements in support of Univision, stressing that criticism of the outlet should be focused on their programming, not on their interview with Trump. The Hispanic Leadership Fund issued a statement in support of Univision’s interview with Trump, stating: “We support Univision’s right to engage in journalism and to ask tough questions of anyone—including the U.S. President.” The Libre Initiative, meanwhile, released a statement praising Univision’s coverage and urging “conservatives to applaud the network’s willingness to interview President Trump.” The issue has become even more politicized when the White House issued a statement on July 22nd castigating the critics of Univision, claiming that they were “attempting to silence a major Spanish-speaking media outlet.” This position was embraced by many on the right, including Fox News Host Tucker Carlson, who addressed the issue on his show and called out those who have criticized Univision. “Univision is providing a service,” he said. “It’s in everyone’s interest that they exist and stay independent. And to attempt to shut them down is just repugnant.” In the end, the issue of Univision and its interview with Trump has become a rallying point for Hispanic conservatives. They’ve used it to draw attention to their various causes and to fight back against those who seek to silence an important part of the Spanish-speaking media.