It didn’t take long for racist comments to flood social media platforms once the second Republican presidential debate began on Fox Business Wednesday evening (September 27).
The vicious posts, however, had nothing to do with any of the seven candidates on the stage vying for their party’s nomination. Instead, social media users aimed their vitriol at Univision news anchor Ilia Calderón, who was co-moderating the debate alongside Fox political commentators Stuart Varney and Dana Perino.
Calderón speaking Spanish at the start of the debate triggered the racists to come out in droves once Calderón said, “Please allow me to welcome our Spanish-speaking audience,” and then proceeded to do so – in Spanish.
“Good evening to everyone,” she said in her native tongue. “From the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the Republican candidates also seek your vote for the party’s primaries. Welcome.”
Calderón’s greeting was quickly met with disdain on X, formerly known as Twitter. At least one user called to “preserve our national identity” and “make English our official language.”
Another user argued that since “America is an English-speaking nation … there’s no place for any other language in politics.”
Others were unhappy that Calderón has an accent.
Then, some said hearing Spanish during a U.S. presidential debate and the fact that it was airing on Univision was a sign that there was something wrong with America.
For the record, Calderón is a Colombian journalist, so calling her a “Spanish chick” or “Spanish lady” is inaccurate. She is not from Spain; thus, she’s not Spanish.
Maybe conservatives don’t know that in the U.S., 42 million people speak Spanish as their first language, and an additional 15 million speak it as a second language.
Apparently, hardline Republicans watching the debate have no interest in expanding their audience, which is a good sign for Democrats.