Donald Trump Will Skip GOP Debate Amid Feud with Fox News

Trump condemned the statement at a press conference in Iowa before officially announcing he would not participate in the debate.

Most recent polls on the Republican field in Iowa show a close race for the top spot between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

In a statement released Tuesday night, a Fox News spokesperson said Trump is still welcome to participate in the debate, but will not be allowed to “dictate the moderators or the questions”. Trump has taken several shots at Kelly since August, when she grilled him during a debate about his past comments about women.

“The network said in an e-mailed statement that “capitulating to politicians” ultimatums about a debate moderator violates all journalistic standards, as do threats”.

“As I’ve said before, I would rather set myself on fire in front of the Fox News studio than go on the debate stage with that”, Scarborough stated.

Mr. Trump told reporters the campaign will “raise some money for the Wounded Warriors”. The question unleashed Trump, who said afterward: “She (Kelly) gets out and she starts asking all sorts of ridiculous questions”. I came here to do the debate.

Has Roger Ailes given you any specific instructions for this debate? One thing is for sure: Kelly will be there.

Cruz has repeatedly knocked Trump for saying he will skip the debate, challenging the billionaire businessman to a head-to-head debate on “The Mark Levin Show” earlier this week.

Lewandowski predicted on “GMA” that “the American people will tune in” for Trump’s alternative event “because they want to support that”.

Trump has not yet responded to Cruz’s one-on-one debate challenge.

He also expressed displeasure at a Fox News statement on Monday night saying Trump would have to learn sooner or later that “he doesn’t get to pick the journalists” and that “we’re very surprised he’s willing to show that much fear about being questioned by Megyn Kelly”.

Cruz later said “the reason Donald is doing this, I actually don’t think it’s because of Megyn”.

That doesn’t mean Kelly is giving any credence to his criticisms of her. “Working the refs is part of the job”, she said. A rematch with Megyn Kelly would be ratings and campaign communications gold He literally had nothing to lose. “Rubio also places second among independents who will caucus at 14% with Cruz at 10%”.

Thursday’s debate provides one last big opportunity. His past debate performances haven’t hurt him, and his most recent was probably his best.

“With Donald Trump, you can’t rule anything out”, said Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia.

“You can’t anticipate everything that is going to happen. And we’re going to make America great again”.

Some observers are convinced Trump won’t reverse himself, especially now that he’s touting a Thursday night fund-raising event for veterans.

Front-runner Ronald Reagan skipped a debate held ahead of the 1980 Iowa caucuses and wound up losing the state to George H.W. Bush. Reagan went on to the win the nomination and the presidency.