Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz is rounding the final corner of his professional baseball career, and he’s going out swinging. Not just at baseballs, but in the media. Ortiz recently shared his opinions on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and it is safe to say the Red Sox slugger is not particularly a fan of the GOP nominee’s standing on immigration.
Ortiz made the comments to USA Today during a Spanish-language interview.
“When you speak like that about us, it’s a slap in the face,” Ortiz said of Latinos in general. “I walk around sometimes, and I see Mexican people trying to earn a living in an honest way. And to hear somebody make those kinds of comments, it hits you. I think as Latin people we deserve better. Things have gotten much better in that regard. … As Latin people we deserve respect, no matter where you’re from. And especially our Mexican brothers, who come here willing to do all the dirty work.”
Trump has taken a hardline stance on immigration, insisting he will have a wall built along the border with Mexico and will force the Mexican government to pay for it. Somehow, that political promise has helped carry Trump this far in the election cycle, as have many other outspoken moments on the campaign trail that have ruffled more than a few feathers.
Coming to the defense of the Latin American community, Ortiz praised the positives it brings to the country and suggested Trump could lose a sizable chunk of the electorate as a result.
“Latin people here in the United States are the spark plug of the country’s economy. Whoever opposes that is going to lose. And not just Latin people but immigrants. I’m talking about people who come from Africa, from Asia, other places. All those people come here with one goal, to realize the American dream, and you have to include them in our group.”
Ortiz has been a pioneer for Latino baseball players in Major League Baseball, so his comments are nothing to shove aside as a random comment from a baseball player. Ortiz has a voice that travels throughout and beyond the Latin and baseball communities, so his comments here will very much be discussed moving forward.
Oh to be a sports fan in Boston, where Tom Brady is rocking a “Make America Great Again” cap and Ortiz is slamming Trump’s views on immigration.
