By Peter Grant
ESPN on Monday became the latest major company to distance
itself from Donald Trump since the presidential candidate's
negative remarks about Mexican immigration.
The Walt Disney Co. unit said it would move a coming celebrity
golf tournament from Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles to
another Southern California course.
Earlier, NBC dumped Mr. Trump from his reality show, "The
Apprentice," while Macy's Inc. stopped carrying his menswear
collection. In addition, Nascar canceled its season-ending awards
ceremony that was to be held at a Trump resort in Florida.
The real-estate magnate, in announcing his bid last month for
the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, said of Mexico:
"They're sending people that have lots of problems...They're
bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists." He then
added: "And some, I assume, are good people."
Mr. Trump had no immediate reaction to the ESPN announcement,
but in a statement he said his remarks on Mexican immigration had
been "deliberately distorted by the media." The statement
acknowledged that he has "lost a lot" during his run for president.
But the financial impact from his remarks is unclear.
When Mr. Trump announced his candidacy, he released a net worth
statement that put a $3.3 billion value on his real-estate
licensing deals, brand and brand development. On Monday, Mr. Trump
said in an interview that most of that value was in "deals that
were already done" and wouldn't be affected by his remarks on
immigration.
He also pointed out that by one measure his brand is solid:
recent polls that show he is among the front-runners among
Republican candidates. "That's part of a brand," he said.
Mr. Trump ranked second in a recent national poll, and he has
registered among the top Republican candidates in the early-voting
states of Iowa and New Hampshire--though surveys also show many
voters in his own party have an unfavorable view of him.
Write to Peter Grant at peter.grant@wsj.com
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