Fox News cancels GOP debate after Donald Trump says he won’t go.
In a phone interview on “Fox and Friends,” Donald Trump said he “Was very suprised when I heard that Fox called for a debate.” His rival John Kasich then said he would not participate.
“I think we have had enough debates,” Trump said (via CBS News). “We have had 11 or 12 debates. I did really well on the last one. I think I have done well in all the debates… But I think we’ve had enough. How many times can the same people ask you the same question?”
He added, “Nobody told me about it. And I won’t be there, no. I’m making a very major speech in front of a very important group of people.”
Apparently, Donald Trump is giving a speech in front of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which holds it annual conference in Washington, D.C. on March 20th through the 22nd.
According to sources close to Variety, Fox was slow to confirm the debate’s cancellation because executives were still trying to persuade Trump to participate. Trump himself admitted at the last CNN debate that he was aware that more debates were coming soon. “I think they want to do two more debates, and I guess I’m pretty much okay with it,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo.
It’s important to point out that this is not the first debate Donald Trump has chosen to skip. He boycotted January’s Fox News debate, hosted by Megyn Kelly. He continued to criticize the political pundit on Twitter yesterday.
This is going to hurt Fox News as ratings for the debates have been at an all-time high. In August, the first GOP debate drew a record of 24 million viewers. The question now remains whether will be another GOP primary debate, after Trump announced that “we’ve had enough.”
