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DONALD TRUMP

Julio Iglesias dumps Trump: ‘He’s a clown! And my apologies to clowns’

Spanish singing legend Julio Iglesias has said he will no longer perform in casinos belonging to US presidential hopeful Donald Trump because of his anti-immigrant comments.

Julio Iglesias dumps Trump: 'He's a clown! And my apologies to clowns'
Photo: AFP

“I have sung many times in his casinos, but I won't do it again. He seems to be an asshole,” he told Barcelona-based daily newspaper La Vanguardia in an interview on Wednesday.

“He thinks he can fix the world forgetting what immigrants have done for his country. He is a clown! And my apologies to clowns.”

Real estate mogul and Republican presidential candidate Trump said in a speech June 16th that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the United States, and some are rapists. He has also called for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

Various organizations have severed their ties with Trump over the comments, including Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres who backed out of plans to open a flagship restaurant in a new hotel under construction by the mogul.

Trump's inflammatory rhetoric has alienated Latino voters. He is viewed unfavourably by 82 percent of Hispanics, with just 15 percent viewing him favourably, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released last month.

Famous for his romantic ballads and love life that has garnered tabloid headlines, Iglesias, 72, is Latin music's top-selling artist, with 300 million albums sold in his decades-long career.

His latest album “Mexico” features 12 songs with a Mexican flavour and pays tribute to the country's great songwriters.

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AMBASSADOR

Trump’s ambassador to Denmark leaves country as president’s term ends

After three years as United States Ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands has stepped down from the post and left Copenhagen.

Trump’s ambassador to Denmark leaves country as president’s term ends
Outgoing United States Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands. Photo: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix

The now-former ambassador confirmed she had taken leave of the Danish capital via Twitter.

US president Donald Trump’s term ends on Wednesday, with President-elect Joe Biden to be inaugurated at 6pm Danish time.

“It's been a privilege serving the Trump Administration for over 3 years as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. I’ve enjoyed promoting USA-Denmark-Faroe Islands-Greenland relations,” Sands tweeted.

“I have departed Copenhagen,” she added in a follow-up tweet.

In a video included in the tweets, Sands mentions her highlights of her time as ambassador. These include the re-opening of the US consulate in Greenland capital Nuuk alongside US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Sands, who took over as ambassador in 2017 after being appointed by Trump, is likely to be remembered as the incumbent at the time of Trump’s overtures towards purchasing Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Danish kingdom.

After Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed Trump’s suggestion that the United States could buy the Arctic territory from Denmark, the US president promptly cancelled an official visit to Denmark scheduled for September 2019.

Sands met with the Danish government on several occasions in an attempt to take the heat out of a potential diplomatic dispute.

READ ALSO: Danes pour scorn on Trump after state visit postponement

More recently, Sands was criticised for tweeting an incorrect claim that her own vote had not been counted in the country's general election.

The ambassador posted on her personal Twitter account a screenshot which she claimed showed her absentee ballot in the state of Pennsylvania had not been registered. She also made several other posts on the site following the US election in support of Trump's baseless claims of election fraud.

Several other Twitter users – as well as the New York Times – looked up Sands' vote on the Pennsylvania state government website and found it was in fact registered.

READ ALSO: US ambassador to Denmark makes incorrect Twitter claim about own vote

After a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6th, Sands was officially contacted by foreign minister Jeppe Kofod. The minister called for Trump to concede defeat in the election and ensure a peaceful transition of power.

Newspaper Berlingske reported that this was the first time in history that a Danish foreign minister had officially protested over internal affairs in the United States.

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