Donald Trump is planning to sue American Spanish-language television network Univision for dropping coverage of the Miss USA pageant, which he partly owns, in a row over his recent comments about Mexicans.

The billionaire property tycoon plans to pursue the broadcaster for breach of its licence agreement and for defamation, according to his lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Univision said on Thursday that it would not air the Miss USA pageant next month because of what it called insulting remarks by Mr Trump about Mexican immigrants.

During his speech last week announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, Mr Trump said of Mexico: “They’re sending people that have lots of problems... They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists, and some I assume are good people, but I speak to border guards and they tell us what we are getting.”

The company had planned to simulcast the event in Spanish. It said it would sever ties with the Miss World Organization, which Mr Trump co-owns with NBCUniversal.