US Republican presidental hopeful Donald Trump on Tuesday bowed out of the final Republican presidential debate before the leadoff Iowa caucuses, saying Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly is “a lightweight.”
With 48 hours to go before the faceoff, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski confirmed Trump’s decision on Tuesday evening after a press conference in which Trump lashed out at Kelly.
“He will not be participating in the Fox News debate Thursday,” Lewandowski said.
Trump, who called his decision “pretty close to irrevocable” in the news conference, said he would hold an Iowa event at the same time as the debate to raise money for wounded veterans.
Iowa hosts the nation’s opening presidential nominating contest on Monday.
“With me, they’re dealing with somebody that’s a little bit different. They can’t toy with me like they toy with everybody else,” Trump said. “Let them have their debate and let’s see how they do with the ratings.”
“Why do I have to make Fox rich?” he added.
On Tuesday night’s airing of her Fox News show, The Kelly File, Kelly said she would be at the debate, which is scheduled to “go on with or without Mr Trump.”
In a statement released on Tuesday night, a Fox News spokesperson said Trump was still welcome to participate in the debate, but would not be allowed to “dictate the moderators or the questions.”
“Capitulating to politicians’ ultimatums about a debate moderator violates all journalistic standards,” Fox said.
The Republican National Committee said the decision was up to Trump.
“Obviously we would love all of the candidates to participate, but each campaign ultimately makes their own decision what’s in their best interest,” committee lead strategist Sean Spicer said.
Trump had suggested he might skip the Fox debate earlier in the day, drawing a sarcastic statement from the television network that “the [Iranian religious leader] Ayatollah [Khomeini] and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president.”
“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.
A Fox spokesman did not immediately respond to Trump’s decision.
The New York real-estate mogul’s presence has helped produce massive ratings in the previous six Republican presidential debates. His decision leaves seven candidates to share the primetime stage today: US senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich.
“Let them have their debate. I’m going to raise money during that period of time for the wounded warriors and for the vets. Let Fox play its games,” Trump said.
“I don’t think Iowa’s going to care,” he added.
Cruz has emerged as the main challenger to Trump in Iowa. At an evening rally, Cruz offered to face Trump in a one-on-one debate any time.
He said Trump was scared of Kelly, telling supporters that skipping the debate was like refusing a job interview.
“If someone did that, didn’t show up at the interview, you know what you’d say? You’re fired,” Cruz said, riffing on Trump’s famous rejoinder from his reality TV show The Apprentice.
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