July 07, 2015 01:39 PM UTC

2012 Miss Colorado Slams Donald Trump

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• by: Colorado Pols

Perennial Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been making ugly headlines since the launch of his campaign, after remarks harshly disparaging Mexican immigrants to the United States provoked widespread outcry–which Trump has been only too happy to feed by doubling down on his statements. Other Republican candidates have ranged from teeing off Trump’s comments to score points, to a refusal to engage in “Republican on Republican violence” by denouncing them (here’s looking at you, Ted Cruz).

Trump’s financial interest in such high-profile media events as the Miss USA Pageant has made it expedient for high-visibility partner organizations like NBC to cut their ties, generating still more negative press coverage. Here in Colorado, as Maya Rodriguez at 9NEWS reports, 2012 Miss Colorado Marybel Gonzalez is also calling Trump out:

“When Mexico sends its people they’re not sending their best,” Trump said. “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people.”

Gonzalez said his comments about Mexicans caught her off guard.

“The first thing I felt was just hurt,” she said. “I’m Mexican American. My parents were immigrants and I felt it was such a generalization that implicated hate, implicated discrimination and was completely unfounded.”

From Gonzales’ message to Trump:

When I watched your ill worded and completely erroneous speech, the only thing that resonated with me was the level of ignorance in your words. You say that Mexicans who come to the USA are all rapists. However, your argument is not only unsubstantiated but also completely hypocritical. See, a rapist is “one who abuses something or treats something improperly.” A rapist is a violator, and exploiter to be more precise. When you singled out a community and ignorantly generalized a population for the benefit of your campaign, you committed the worst exploitation. When you belittled the people of a country for the sake of a vote or an applause you acted in an unjustly manner to benefit your needs. Further, when you now negate other girls the opportunity to be present and heard in a public forum you are blatantly robbing them… if I am a rapist by the simple fact of being Mexican, then what do these actions speak of you?

Sincerely, Marybel González
A very Mexican, not rapist, Miss Colorado USA 2012, Top 10 Miss USA finalist

Safe to say that every time Trump’s name is mentioned along with the words “2016 Republican presidential candidate,” everyone who would like to see any Republican become President in 2016 cringes.

But for now, like it or not, he’s the one making headlines.