NBC ends relationship with Donald Trump

US broadcast net NBC has confirmed it will stop working with Donald Trump in the wake of his controversial comments about Mexican immigrants.

The US businessman and TV personality reacted furiously to the news, labelling NBC “weak” and “foolish” and suggesting the termination of the Miss Universe TV deal will be settled in court.

The US net announced its was ditching Trump in an official statement: “At NBC, respect and dignity for all people are cornerstones of our values,” it read. “Due to the recent derogatory statements by Donald Trump regarding immigrants, NBCUniversal is ending its business relationship with Mr. Trump.”

“To that end, the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, will no longer air on NBC.”

It was already known that Trump would no longer feature in the celebrity version of The Apprentice on NBC.

Trump is making a run for president in the US. In inflammatory comments sparking the NBC move he recently said: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. “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 wake of NBC’s statement Trump issued an angry response.

“If NBC is so weak and so foolish to not understand the serious illegal immigration problem in the United States, coupled with the horrendous and unfair trade deals we are making with Mexico, then their contract violating closure of Miss Universe/Miss USA will be determined in court,” he said.

“Furthermore, they will stand behind lying [newscaster] Brian Williams, but won’t stand behind people that tell it like it is, as unpleasant as that may be.”

NBC’s parent company owns Spanish-language network Telemundo. Its chief Spanish-language rival, Univision, said last week it would stop working with Trump companies and was cancelling its planned airing of the Miss USA pageant that is part-run by Trump.