DORAL, Fla. – A resolution to condemn Donald Trump's controversial comments about Mexican immigrants failed to win approval in Doral, a city dominated by Hispanics and where Trump owns a significant amount of land.
Vice Mayor Sandra Ruiz presented a resolution denouncing Trump's controversial comments about Mexicans. Ruiz, who is of Mexican descent, made a motion to condemn Trump's remarks during Wednesday's City Council meeting.
"There's no room for these comments in our communities," Ruiz told Local 10 News senior political reporter Michael Putney. "We've come too far to now make room for racist remarks."
Some residents and community activists were calling on Doral officials to rescind Trump's key to the city and stop doing business at Trump National Doral.
"That piece of garbage does not deserve to be honored by anybody, much less the city of Doral," resident Carlos Pereda said.
But in a 3-2 vote, the council members -- all of whom are Hispanic -- rejected the symbolic resolution, saying that while they disagree with his comments, they didn't want to get political.
"This dais is not the right place to talk about political issues," Doral Mayor Luigi Boria said. "We have to look forward."
Ruiz said the council has gotten involved in politics before and that other cities have passed the same resolutions. She said she expected more in a predominantly Hispanic community.
"Why today it's not an item that should be discussed in this forum, I find it, quite frankly, difficult to understand," Ruiz said.
Boria, however, said there were other issues to consider.
"Mr. Trump is the second-largest employer here in the city," Boria said. "He employees more than 1,000 people in our city. He has invested more than $250 million in our city."
Doral Councilwoman Anna Maria Rodriguez agreed.
"I personally don't support, you know, taking the key back or calling him a persona non grata," she said. "Mr. Trump has made a significant investment in our city."
Ruiz said Trump called her immediately after making the anti-Mexican comments and called her again Wednesday.
"When I received a call today to have the the item removed from the agenda, you know, my statement was, 'Absolutely not. I will not do that,'" Ruiz said.
Trump hasn't said whether he'll return the key to the city if asked.
No description foundDuring an interview with conservative talk radio Mark Levin on Nov. 11, Trump said he was shocked to see Hillary Clinton's latest hairdo, calling it "massive." Asked by Levin what Clinton's appeal to voters is, Trump simply said: "Well, she has a new hairdo, did you notice that today?" The quip prompted Levin to suggest Clinton is wearing a wig. "I tell you what it really was shocking to see it because you're right it must be, it was massive. Her hair became massive," said Trump, whose own hair has been the subject of scrutiny.No description foundNo description foundNo description foundNo description foundNo description foundNo description foundNo description foundIn a Rolling Stone magazine profile published Sept. 9, Trump was quoted as saying, "Look at that face!" while sitting with a reporter as Carly Fiorina appeared on TV. "Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president.""I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not s'posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?" Trump said, according to the magazine.Trump said on the following day that when he suggested Fiorina's face would make her unelectable, he wasn't talking about her looks, but her persona.During a Sept. 3 interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump debated whether Hewitt was asking a "gotcha" question on foreign policy: "Well, that is a 'gotcha' question, though. I mean, you know when you're asking me about who's running this, this, this... I will be so good at the military, your head will spin." The question related to whether Trump knew the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas, the Islamic militant groups based in Lebanon and Palestine.During his June 16 announcement of his presidential campaign, Trump said, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."In the same speech, Trump touched on ISIS and Syria: "They [ISIS] just built a hotel in Syria. Can you believe this? They built a hotel. When I have to build a hotel, I pay interest. They don't have to pay interest, because they took the oil that, when we left Iraq, I said we should've taken."During a June 16 appearance on the Bill O'Reilly show: "The wall will go up and Mexico will start behaving."During a June 17 "Good Morning America" apperance: "You look at Baltimore, you look at Cleveland. You look at all of those places, just exploding. We have an African-American president [and] we've never had it so bad."To NBC News, Trump responded July 9 to Hillary Clinton, who said she was "disappointed" in his comments regarding immigration: "Hillary Clinton was the worst secretary of state in the history of the United States. There's never been a secretary of state so bad as Hillary. The world blew up around us. We lost everything, including all relationships. There wasn't one good thing that came out of that administration or her being secretary of state."In a July 12 tweet about drug kingpin El Chapo's escape from prison: "Mexicos totally corrupt govt looks horrible with El Chapos escapetotally corrupt. U.S. paid them $3 billion."Another El Chapo-related tweet: Mexicos totally corrupt govt looks horrible with El Chapos escapetotally corrupt. U.S. paid them $3 billion.Trump at the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa on July 18, about Sen. John McCain: "He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured, OK, I hate to tell you."Responding on Twitter to criticism from media mogul Rupert Murdoch: "Look how small the pages have become @WSJ. Looks like a tabloid -- saving money I assume!Doubling down on his McCain comment on "The O'Reilly Factor,": "Bill, regardless of work or no work, (vets are) suffering. I'm all over the country. I see them all the time. (McCain is) virtually the head person in Washington. He's thehead of the group that runsI mean, he'ssomebody's doing a bad job.When asked on ABC's "This Week" if he had ever said something he regretted: "I have said things that I could've held back. But not that often, surprisingly not that often, but certainly there have been occasions."In late July, lawyer Elizabeth Beck claims Trump said she was "disgusting" after she requested a break from a 2011 deposition to pump breast milk. Trump's attorney Allen Garten doesn't dispute the claim, but said the incident wasn't "about breastfeeding."
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