Vega, 22, won the 2014 Miss Universe pageant last January in Miami. PHOTO: FILE
The reigning Miss Universe has refused to surrender her crown despite criticism following pageant owner Donald Trump’s remarks on Mexican immigrants, reports the Huffington Post.
The Colombian beauty said she would continue doing the organisation’s social work and dismissed Trump’s claim that she’s a “hypocrite” for condemning his recent comments but declining to step down as Miss Universe.
“The fact that I’m not giving up my crown doesn’t mean that I’m changing my stance about everything I said,” said the Colombian beauty, adding, “It doesn’t make any sense that Donald Trump calls me a hypocrite because I’m not giving up my crown.” In his June presidential campaign, Trump claimed that Mexican immigrants bring drugs, crime and rapists to the US.
A few days after Vega called his remarks “unjust and hurtful,” Trump tweeted: “Miss Universe, Paulina Vega, criticised me for telling the truth about illegal immigration, but then said she would keep the crown — Hypocrite.”
“As a Colombian and as Miss Universe, I want to show my support and validate the sentiments of the Latin community,” Vega said on her Instagram account.
Pressure on her to relinquish the crown has doubled over the past several days, with Colombia retiring its bid to host the event and Mexico announcing that it won’t be sending any candidate to the competition.
Colombian superstar Shakira, in reference to Trump’s comments, tweeted: “No one living in this century should stand behind so much ignorance.”
Vega stressed that the Miss Universe pageant existed long before Trump acquired it and that “it will continue to exist if he stops being its owner someday.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2015.
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