A ‘STRANGER’ IN
COVER THE story. Don’t be the story.
It’s Lesson No. 1 from day one for all journalists. Veteran newscaster Jorge Ramos, however, didn’t have much of a choice.
As explained in his memoir “Stranger: The Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era,” Ramos was just trying to do his job. One candidate wouldn’t let him.
The minute Donald Trump announced his campaign on June 16, 2015, he simultaneously declared war on undocumented immigrants — specifically Mexicans, dismissed in his infamous diatribe as drug dealers and rapists.
Ramos, as a star of the Univision network and proud Mexican-American, knew he had to respond. He immediately asked Trump for an interview, offering to meet him anytime, and included his cell phone number.
Trump didn’t respond directly. Instead, he mockingly shared the “begging” letter on Instagram — along with Ramos’ phone number.
The journalist/American citizen immediately started receiving hate mail from people telling him to go back to his own country.
It was his first encounter with “the Trump effect.”
“This is not a book about Donald Trump,” writes Ramos. “But his entry into politics and his rise to power are directly related to the growing anti-immigrant sentiment thriving across the United States.
“It’s as bad as I’ve ever seen . . . as if Trump has given people permission to attack immigrants and make racist remarks.”
Ramos eventually did question the candidate in a made-for-TV moment that saw him ejected from a news conference.
But the author is right: “Stranger” is not a book about Donald Trump. It’s a book about immigrants.
Ramos recalls growing up in Mexico City, surrounded by a loving family, educated in stern Catholic schools, nourished on a vibrant cuisine.
“Mexican-style eggs, shrimp broth, Churrumais snacks, Maria cookies with La Abuelita butter, glasses of cold milk mixed with Pancho Pantera Choco Milk powder,” he recalls.
“These were all my favorites