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U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
October 2, 2015
The following is a statement from the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce:
 
"The USHCC's Q&A with Donald Trump is officially cancelled. After having publically confirmed, Mr. Trump has chosen to withdraw from the USHCC's Presidential Candidate Q&A Session, scheduled for October 8th in Washington, DC. Mr. Trump was unwilling to abide by the terms and conditions of the USHCC's Presidential Candidate Q&A Series - the same rules that all participants have previously followed. The USHCC refused to change the format of the forum, show any favoritism, exclude any issues or topics, or grant any immunity from objective scrutiny of his policies. As a result, despite having agreed on numerous occasions, Trump has now reversed his position and has elected to not participate in the Q&A Session - making him the only candidate from either party to do so. 
 
Trump's decision to forfeit the Q&A session was motivated by the concern of being 'put on trial.' Trump would have been treated no differently than other candidates. As stated previously, as with all candidates, we want our members and the American people to hear from each presidential hopeful, away from public spectacle of the debate floor, to form their own opinions. The Q&A series was designed to ensure that every candidate can explain in detail their political ideology, policies, and campaign rhetoric in a thoughtful, deliberate, and substantive fashion. Withdrawing from the Q&A can only suggest that Trump himself believes his views are indefensible before a Hispanic audience.
 
The USHCC's objective was to engage Trump on a wide array of issues that all Americans care about, including: jobs and the economy, small business, taxes, international trade, national security, race relations, women's rights and immigration. As it relates to immigration, our objective was to refocus the national debate toward the more positive, fact-based, and economically sound narrative that the USHCC has been advancing for years, long before the 2016 election cycle.
 
While we've disagreed on various issues with other candidates, we commend Senator Ted Cruz, Governor Martin O'Malley, Senator Bernie Sanders, Governor Jeb Bush, and Governor John Kasich for having the courage, conviction, and respect to address our members directly and candidly.  
 
With an 84 percent disapproval rating among Hispanics, Trump's decision to withdraw from the session only deepens our community's already negative perceptions of him. We look forward to the future engagements we have confirmed with other Republican and Democratic candidates, including Senator Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina and Secretary Hillary Clinton."

About the USHCC
Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of our nation's entrepreneurs. The USHCC advocates on behalf of nearly 4.1 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that together contribute in excess of $661 billion to the American economy, each year. As the leading organization of its kind, the USHCC serves as an umbrella to more than 200 local chambers and business associations across the nation, and partners with more than 250 major corporations.
For more information, visit www.ushcc.com. 
Media Contact: 
Ammar Campa-Najjar
"We don't agree on everything certainly but I think I agreed to do some kind of luncheon or whatever down in Washington"
 
"He is having the meeting down in Washington. So, I will be going down at some point in October or whatever. I will go to Washington. That won't be that easy a meeting because you'll have hundreds of people and they will have constituents of his and they may disagree with me but ultimately we will all get along."


About the USHCC
Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of our nation's entrepreneurs. The USHCC advocates on behalf of nearly 4.1 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that together contribute in excess of $661 billion to the American economy, each year. As the leading organization of its kind, the USHCC serves as an umbrella to more than 200 local chambers and business associations across the nation, and partners with more than 250 major corporations.
For more information, visit www.ushcc.com. 
Media Contact: 
Ammar Campa-Najjar