GOP Prepares for Trump-less Debate

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly has implored Donald Trump to change his mind and participate in tonight’s Republican presidential debate, arguing that the candidate should practice the Christian tenant of forgiveness for Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly.

As the 2016 Republican candidates took to the stage to make their final appeals to Iowa voters on Thursday, billionaire businessman Donald Trump was hosting his own competing event a few miles away.

It will be broadcast on CNN (CNN is on: DirecTV – channel 202; Dish Network – channel 200; ATT U-verse – channel 202) and go.CNN.com on mobile devices. (The idea fell to the wayside when presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum bowed out of the broadcast.) During the sit-down on America’s Election Headquarters, Kelly asked Trump if he thought he was a better moderator than her.

In an interview with reporters on his plane before the rally at Drake University, Trump said his foundation already had raised $5 million. Jeb Bush tweeted a similar response, comparing Trump’s thin-skinned actions to those President Obama would take.

Donald Trump is not included in the poll because he did not participate in the debate.

“[Fox News chairman] Roger Ailes had three brief conversations with Donald Trump today about possibly appearing at the debate – there were not multiple calls placed by Ailes to Trump”, Fox News said in a statement (via Variety).

Suddenly, Trump’s rivals will find out what it’s like to debate without the front-runner’s bluster and theatrics dominating the stage.

“The battle between me and Ted Cruz is Ted just not being honest”, Rubio said. After all, if Ted Cruz say he backs policy X, you may want to learn more about Cruz’s position on X. And so you head to Google.

Across Republicans and Democrats, Trump is still the leader, but there are even more undecideds.

“After the debate, I’m not going to be doing anything, so, I guess, if it’s a charitable thing for the troops and he invites other people to come, I certainly would attend to support the troops”, Santorum said, according to Breitbart. “We need people who are going to stand up for themselves and the country”, he said.

If Trump wins the Iowa caucuses, the move will be lauded as proof that he has built a movement capable of circumventing establishment media.