Donald Trump Skips Final Republican Debate

The Republican front-runner backed out of the debate amid an escalating feud with cable network.

Ms Kelly began the debate by asking the candidates to address “the elephant not in the room”. Plus, some viewers likely tuned in to see what the other seven candidates would say about Trump without him there.

“I’m a maniac and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly, and Ben, you’re a bad surgeon”, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, center, answers a question as retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, left, and Sen.

My colleagues are saying Donald Trump won the debate, because in his absence the rest of the Republican candidates cut each other down.

Mary Altaffer/AP At this past Thursday’s GOP debate on Fox News, which Trump sat out, Cruz fought to make sure he was positioned at center stage – but did little to take advantage of the opportunity.

Love Trump or hate Trump, there is no denying that this man knows how to play the media game at a Jedi level.

“Donald Trump has chosen not to attend this evening’s presidential debate”.

“Look at all the cameras”, he said. The GOP candidate said that Kelly was unfair, and then tweeted that she was really off her game. Rick Santorum, businesswoman Carly Fiorina and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore listen as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee answers a question during a Republic…

Floridian senator Marco Rubio also took the chance to lash out at Trump – accusing Mr Cruz of trying to “trump Trump” with his hardline stance on immigration. “I just think it can’t help him”.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul – who did not qualify for the previous debate because of low poll numbers – was returned to the main stage.

“There’s three lanes, there’s the establishment lane, the anti-establishment lane and the Kasich lane”. But this election is not about our pedigree.

“In the last 48 hours, we’ve kept two issues at the forefront – we would never compromise our journalistic standards and we would always stand by our journalist, Megyn Kelly”, the network said. Instead, their eyes are fixed on New Hampshire, whose primary comes eight days later after the Iowa caucuses.