It seems like Telemundo star Rodner Figueroa has not learned his lesson from 2015, when he was fired from his perch at Univision after saying on the air that then First Lady Michelle Obama looked like a character out of “Planet of the Apes.”
Only three months into his new gig with Telemundo, Figueroa is now targeting Melania Trump, saying the current First Lady’s decision to not travel with the President to Davos is evidence of a troubled marriage and that the Trumps’ love story looks like it “is not going to have a happy ending.”
RODNER FIGUEROA, HOST, AL ROJO VIVO, TELEMUNDO: If you thought that the only couples who had problems were Julián Gil and Marjorie de Sousa, you are very wrong. It turns out that Melania Trump has just made a decision that has left everyone speechless.
MARIA CELESTE ARRARÁS, HOST, AL ROJO VIVO, TELEMUNDO: And even more so since she had previously confirmed she would go.
RODNER FIGUEROA: Exactly. But here we put everything into perspective in an analysis of this love story that looks like is not going to have a happy ending.
In his hit piece, Figueroa goes on to affirm, without referencing any source, that the First Lady’s decision to not travel to Davos is “in response to the recent scandal about her husband's supposed affair with porn movie star Stormy Daniels.”
Figueroa casts further aspersions on Melania by hinting that something is wrong with her posting a photo of herself at the arm of a U.S. Marine Corps officer (who he twice erroneously identified as either an "Army officer" or "cadet") the day she was introduced to the nation as incoming First Lady during the January 20, 2017 presidential inauguration ceremony.
Figueroa’s co-host, María Celeste Arrarás, also fans the flames in her introduction to the segment by telling viewers “Donald and Melania have each gone their separate ways” and that after the latest Stormy Daniels revelations Melania "is like she does not want to even see his (Trump’s) face.”
Figueroa was fired by Univision in March of 2015, after saying on the air that then First Lady Michelle Obama “looks like she's from the cast of Planet of the Apes.”
Below is the transcript of the above-referenced segments of the report, as broadcast during the January 24, 2018 edition of Al Rojo Vivo on Telemundo.
VOICE-OVER ANNOUNCER, AL ROJO VIVO, TELEMUNDO: What’s happening between the Trumps? Melania cancelled a trip with her spouse and posted a photo with a cadet. And didn’t even mention her marriage anniversary. We investigate.
MARIA CELESTE ARRARÁS, HOST, AL ROJO VIVO, TELEMUNDO: And well, the Trump marriage is being talked about by everyone today. Just when they should be celebrating their wedding anniversary this week, Donald and Melania have each gone their separate ways. Things seem to be red hot and the photos they have shared in the social networks say more than a thousand words. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, and here is Rodner to show us those images.
RODNER FIGUEROA, HOST, AL ROJO VIVO, TELEMUNDO: Or lack of image also...
MARIA CELESTE ARRARÁS: Or also, also. Not only…
RODNER FIGUEROA: It's also important. Because if you thought that the only couples who had problems were Julian Gil and Marjorie de Sousa, you are very wrong. It turns out that Melania Trump has just made a decision that has left everyone speechless, and that has made their relationship as a couple the subject of conversation among everyone. Because she has decided not to accompany the President on an official journey of his, raising suspicions that they have marital problems.
MARIA CELESTE ARRARÁS : And even more so since she had previously confirmed she would go.
RODNER FIGUEROA: Exactly. But here we put everything into perspective in an analysis of this love story that looks like is not going to have a happy ending. Let’s see it. Melania Trump has created a wave of speculations after cancelling her trip to Switzerland where she would accompany her husband Donald Trump to the World Economic Forum and all in response to the recent scandal about her husband's supposed affair with porn movie star Stormy Daniels in 2006 and to whom it is said her husband’s lawyers paid $130,000 to silence her.
…
RODNER FIGUEROA: Another red flag was that the day of their 13th anniversary last Monday, January 22nd, neither of them posted a message to the other on social media. The last time Melania posted something on Twitter was last Saturday, on the first anniversary of the presidency of Trump and it was very curious that the First Lady did not post a photo of herself with her husband. Instead, she chose to post a picture of herself at the arm of an Army officer who accompanied her on the day of the inauguration.
…
RODNER FIGUEROA: The First Lady’s spokespeople said the trip’s cancellation was due to scheduling and logistics problems. But sources assure that Melania didn’t have anything scheduled that hadn’t been announced previously, and that would have impeded this trip to Switzerland.
…
MARIA CELESTE ARRARÁS: In other words, Melania is like she does not want to even see his face.
…
RODNER FIGUEROA: And even more we’ve also been seeing, María Celeste, the body language of the two is strange. When Melania and President Trump are together, it’s very strange how they behave…and she posts a photo of herself with a cadet.
