A statement from Fox News said Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes had three brief conversations with Trump about possibly appearing at the debate, denying the real estate tycoon’s claims that Ailes called “multiple” times.
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Donald Trump held court in New Hampshire Friday, while his presidential competitors in both parties hustled through Iowa in a last-minute scramble to win over fence-sitters before the state’s crucial caucuses.
The debates have been such a strong draw that even though Thursday’s event had roughly half the viewership of Fox’s first debate, seen by 24 million people in August, it still ranked as the network’s second most-watched event ever.
Early Nielsen data according to CNN indicated the debate scored a 8.4 rating nationwide, which will likely equate to 11-13 million viewers nationwide. As Trump relayed the story to a packed hotel ballroom, he told Fox to “give $5 million dollars, make a donation, $5 million dollars for the vets and I ” ll come and do your debate”.
The debate was not attended by the Republican leader Donald Trump. “I wish he were here”. That debate had an audience of around 25 million viewers, so approximately double Thursday night’s viewership.
The snap poll results were echoed by a Time Magazine poll asking who won the debate-53 percent of respondents voted “Donald Trump, even though he skipped it”.
Trump had famously predicted FOX’s ratings for the night would be a disaster without him. “Gosh, if you guys … ask one more mean question, I may have to leave the stage!”
And a month before: “I like Ted Cruz a lot”.
Trump, who overshadowed the debate from afar, had declared victory with his own event Thursday, a fundraiser for U.S. military veterans. But it also highlighted something that has baffled observers: that no matter what Trump says, he consistently polls well above his GOP contenders.
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Will the Republican front-runner’s decision not to participate in the final debate before the Iowa Caucuses be worth the risk?
