The Donald Trump campaign announced on Tuesday that the Republican candidate for the presidency will not participate in Thursday’s Fox News debate. Trump really doesn’t like Megyn Kelly.
Trump’s team didn’t mention Kelly by name in a statement, but her participation seems to be the only reason why he wouldn’t be at the debate. Trump has previously threatened to miss CNN debates if he is not paid to appear. He has said he would donate the money to wounded veterans.
“Unlike the very stupid, highly incompetent people running our country into the ground, Mr. Trump knows when to walk away,” the statement reads. “Roger Ailes and FOX News think they can toy with him, but Mr. Trump doesn’t play games. There have already been six debates, and according to all online debate polls including Drudge, Slate, Time Magazine, and many others, Mr. Trump has won all of them, in particular the last one. Whereas he has always been a job creator and not a debater, he nevertheless truly enjoys the debating process - and it has been very good for him, both in polls and popularity.”
Instead of taking part in the debate, Trump will host an event in Iowa to help raise funds for veterans and Wounded Warriors.
“Like running for office as an extremely successful person, this takes guts and it is the kind of mentality our country needs in order to Make America Great Again,” the statement concludes.
In a statement to Deadline, Fox News said that the GOP frontrunner can’t “dictate the moderators or the questions.”
“Capitulating to politicians’ ultimatums about a debate moderator violates all journalistic standards, as do threats, including the one leveled by Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski toward Megyn Kelly,” the network said.
Trump has been blasting Kelly since her question about his comments about women during the first debate in August. On Monday, he began to contemplate going to the last debate before the Iowa caucuses because of Kelly.
“Megyn Kelly is really biased against me,” Trump said in an Instagram video. “She knows that, I know that, everybody knows that. Do you really think she could be fair at a debate?”
Obviously, Trump decided that he doesn’t need to show up to the debate to convince Iowa voters to turn out for him on Monday.