DC Chef Jose Andres Latest to #DumpTrump

Celebrated DC-area chef Jose Andres announced Wednesday he is pulling out of a deal to open a restaurant at a new luxury hotel in DC being built by Donald Trump, who is running for president.

New York real estate mogul Trump immediately ran into trouble upon making his announcement to run, after a statement he made about Mexicans: “They are bringing drugs. They are bringing crime. They’re rapists,” Trump said about Mexican immigrants, adding, “some, I assume, are good people.”

Andres issued a statement Wedneday to The Washington Post:

“Donald Trump’s recent statements disparaging immigrants make it impossible for my company and I to move forward with opening a successful Spanish restaurant in Trump International’s upcoming hotel in Washington, D.C.,” the statement reads.

Read the entire statement on the Post Web site here.

An online protest popped up urging Andres to #DumpTrump. Those signing the petition on change.org said:

Don’t Open A Restaurant in Donald Trump’s D.C. Hotel

“José Andrés embodies the American dream, having moved from Spain to start a family and create one of the most successful restaurant chains in culinary history,” the petition notes.

The luxury Trump International Hotel is set to open next year in Washington DC.

Trump’s comments also got him booted from NBC, where the network pulled the annual Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants, which are part of a joint venture between NBC and Trump, and Macy’s, where the department store says it is phasing out Trump’s clothing line.

Andres initially posted a message on Twitter, in response to an WAMU report about the petition: “My views on immigration are clear. All men and women should be treated respectfully regardless of their status.”

Andres became a U.S. citizen in 2013, according to WAMU’s report.