Donald Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said Wednesday that the front-running candidate's decision to skip the GOP Fox News debate on Thursday "has nothing to do with" the fact that Megyn Kelly will be a moderator. Rather, Lewandowski says it's the media outlet and its leadership that pushed Trump out.
Lewandowski made the comments on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday, when host Willie Geist asked what it is about Kelly that gets under Trump's skin, according to The Washington Examiner.
"This has nothing to do with Megyn Kelly," Lewandowski responded. "What this is about is Fox News, which is making tens of millions of dollars on the debates, setting records, you know, the highest in history we've ever seen in cable television, unlike previous years, and unlike the very stupid and highly incompetent people that run our country, Mr. Trump knows when to walk away from a bad deal."
Trump has had it out for Kelly since she questioned him during a debate last year about derogatory comments he has made about women. In the past few days, Trump began petitioning for Kelly to be removed as moderator, claiming she is a biased, lightweight reporter who has a conflict of interest. But Fox News refused to budge.
It appeared as if Trump was going to suck it up and attend the debate anyway, but the feud hit a breaking point Tuesday night after the outlet released a sarcastic statement to the press mocking Trump for complaining that Kelly would be a moderator.
"It's Roger Ailes, it's Fox News," Lewandowski continued. "They think they can toy with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump doesn't play games, you guys know that. He's been to six debates, he's stood on the stage with Megyn Kelly, he's answered every question from every debate moderator who's posed a question towards him. This isn't about Megyn Kelly at all. This is about giving the American people the opportunity to ask questions, to hear from the candidates directly in a direct manner."
Lewandowski added: "There are quality individuals who want to ask tough questions in a fair and reasonable manner. Mr. Trump can answer any question. He's running for president of the United States, and he's done it time and time again. What they're doing with Megyn Kelly and moreover Roger Ailes with the statement they put out goading Mr. Trump, it's clearly that Fox thought it was appropriate to mock Mr. Trump. But at the end of the day, Mr. Trump is going to have the last laugh."
Trump said that instead of attending the debate, he will host a coinciding event in Iowa to raise money for veterans and wounded warriors.
"I had a number of calls yesterday with some of the other campaigns [that] said hey, can we come and join you in raising money for the wounded warriors and the veterans because, you know, Fox isn't going to be fair to you - what makes 'em think they're going to be fair to us?" Lewandowski said, according to The Washington Times.
A Fox News statement called Trump's debate boycott "near unprecedented."
"We're not sure how Iowans are going to feel about him walking away from them at the last minute, but it should be clear to the American public by now that this is rooted in one thing - Megyn Kelly, whom he has viciously attacked since August and has now spent four days demanding be removed from the debate stage," a Fox News spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that Trump is still welcome to the debate and will be treated fairly but "can't dictate the moderators or the questions."
