Telemundo said it has snagged President Donald Trump's first "exclusive, sit-down" interview with a Spanish-language TV network since he took office over two years ago.
The interview was taking place Wednesday, a Telemundo spokesperson said, but would not say where. The news net has asked for an interview periodically since Trump took office but this was the first time the White House agreed, said the spokesperson, who added that he did not know why the President had finally said yes.
The President did launch his re-election campaign Tuesday in Orlando (June 18) and will likely want to frame his policy in a way that does not make it look like mass deportations of South American immigrants.
Telemundo will air the interview--with anchor José Díaz-Balart--in a special at 11 p.m. Thursday Eastern time, 7 p.m. Pacific, but has yet to decide exactly in what form and how long it will be, a call that the spokesperson said would be determined by what was in the interview. Likely it will release newsy bits early to other outlets so long as they credit Telemundo--a standard practice to drive viewers to the interview.
It will be accessible on NoticiasTelemundo.com, Noticias Telemundo’s mobile app and on YouTube.com/NoticiasTelemundo.
The President's stance on immigration from countries south of the border is obviously of particular interest to the Hispanic community. For example, Telemundo provided prime time airtime along with other major networks when the President wanted to address the nation in a January speech on "the Humanitarian and National Security crisis on our Southern Border," where he made a pitch for "the wall."
Telemundo, part of Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, is on the record with issues about the President's immigration policy, particularly his decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
