Former President Donald Trump has yet to formally decide whether he’ll participate in the first GOP presidential primary debate to be held later this month and moderated by Fox News.
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
But, in an interview with Newsmax TV’s Eric Bolling on Wednesday, Trump explained the one condition that the network and the Republican National Committee are demanding in order to appear on stage that he will never agree to.
Here’s the exchange (catch the video below):
ERIC BOLLING: On the FOX debates, you’ll decide next week.
DONALD TRUMP: I’ve already decided, and I’ll be announcing something next week.
BOLLING: FOX senior executives came and had dinner with you and pitched you. Did they move the needle?
TRUMP: Well, they were very nice.
BOLLING: The reason I say this, I put a poll up on Twitter. At least two-thirds of the people don’t want you to do the debate because they feel it could be a setup. Are you concerned about FOX setting you up?
TRUMP: Well, when you’re at 75, 78, 80% and other guys are at 0, 1%, 2%, 3%, you do say, ‘what’s the upside?’ Am I gonna go up one point, but they could go up. You know, they’re not dumb people.
They’re senators, their governors, they’re intelligent people. You have some very good people. I think you have some very good people. I have a problem with the debate for another reason. I wouldn’t sign the pledge.
Why would I sign a pledge? There’s people on there that I wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have certain people as you know somebody that I’d endorsed. So they want you to sign a pledge, but I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president.
So right there, there’s a problem.
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