Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump isn’t backing down Wednesday from his threat to boycott this week’s GOP debate, where candidates have the opportunity to make their closing arguments before voting begins in Monday’s Iowa caucuses.
Advertisement
While talking about the Fox News, Trump thundered, “Why should the networks continue to get rich on the debates…Why do I have to make Fox rich?”
Fox News, in a statement on Tuesday, said it would not “give in to terrorizations toward any of our employees”, but left the door open to Trump attending the debate.
Trump first said he would “get Congress’s approval” before implementing those policies, before adding that he “would at least speak to Congress”.
Assuming Trump doesn’t change his mind, his primary opponent ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Ted Cruz, will be center stage on Thursday.
Trump on Tuesday withdrew from the televised encounter, scheduled for Thursday night in Des Moines, Iowa, irritated at host Fox News for allowing Kelly to moderate after her questioning had angered him in a debate previous year. “Everybody knows that. Do you really think she can be fair at a debate?” How can Trump convince them that he has what it takes to be commander in chief when he drops out of a debate because he feared a few “unfair” questions?
The debate is scheduled for just days before Iowa’s caucuses on Monday, the first nominating contest for the November 8 presidential election. “If I was mad at work, I don’t just stay home, you know”.
“The selection of a reality television personality to host a presidential debate that voters nationwide will be watching is beneath the office of the presidency”, Ron Paul’s campaign said in a statement, “and flies in the face of that office’s history and dignity”. John McCain is worthy of being called a war hero, graphically criticized Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and unveiled a widely condemned plan to bar Muslims from the United States.
Hayley Bruce, a University of Iowa spokeswoman, says 28-year-old Andrew Joseph Alemao was charged Tuesday with disorderly conduct after officers say they saw him throwing two tomatoes toward Trump during a speech. Rivals like Cruz, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson could reap the benefits.
Trump called the statements “wiseguy press releases” and has said he doesn’t think Kelly is “professional at all” and “not a very talented person”.
“Honestly, Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry”, Trump replied.
With 48 hours to go before the faceoff, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski confirmed Trump’s decision Tuesday evening after a press conference in which Trump lashed out at Kelly and said she’d been “toying” with him.
“A nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings”, the Fox statement said.
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) – Once again, Donald Trump steals the show.
Other campaigns bashed Trump with a similar line of attack.
Advertisement
Trump has already managed to hijack the news cycle leading up to the debate and could, even in his absence, still loom large over the stage of contenders who will gather Thursday night. In a Twitter post on Wednesday, Cruz likened Trump’s withdrawal to a comical retreat from a “Monty Python” movie.
