<P> The Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the American entrant in the Miss Universe pageant . The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA . </P> <P> The pageant was owned by Donald Trump from 1996 to 2015, and was previously broadcast on NBC . In September 2015, WME / IMG purchased the pageant from Trump . Currently, Fox holds the broadcast rights for the pageant . </P> <P> The current Miss USA is Kára McCullough of the District of Columbia who was crowned on May 14, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada . </P> <P> The Miss USA pageant was conceived in 1950 when Yolande Betbeze, winner of the rival Miss America pageant, refused to pose for publicity pictures while wearing a swimsuit . Pageant sponsor Catalina decided to pull their sponsorship off the pageant and create their own competition . Other owners have included a subsidiary of Gulf + Western Industries, ITT Corporation, and billionaire Donald Trump . </P>

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