Posted on 01/26/2016 5:53:42 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says if rival Donald Trump won't face the entire GOP field in Thursday's Fox News debate, then he wants to go one-on-one.
"If Donald is afraid of Megyn Kelly, I would like to invite him on your show to participate in a one-on-one debate between me and Donald, mano y mano," Cruz said during an interview on "The Mark Levin Show," adding that Trump could choose the moderator.
"And the fact that Donald is now afraid to appear on the debate stage, that he doesn't want his record questioned, I think that reflects a lack of respect for the men and women of Iowa, that he's unwilling to go to Des Moines and be questioned."
Cruz also argued that Trump dropping out of the debate shows that the front-runner isn't qualified to be president.
"This is a job interview, you need to be willing to answer the questions of the American people, and if Donald is afraid to defend his record, that speaks volumes," he said.
"And if he thinks Megyn Kelly is so scary, what exactly does he think he'd do with Vladimir Putin? I promise you Putin is a lot scarier than Megyn Kelly."
Cruz added that Trump needs to explain to voters "how he is prepared to be commander-in-chief if he's terrified of a television host."
The comments came shortly after the Trump campaign announced Tuesday that he would not participate in the Fox News debate on Thursday.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Trump referred to Kelly as "lightweight" and said that she's "not a reporter."
LOL, They won’t be trapping Trump. Nope.
We’ll see how this plays with Iowans.
And there has been no “winner” yet.
And there has been no “winner” yet.
Lol, why should Trump give Cruz an audience he couldn’t possibly draw himself? Makes about as much sense as letting Ted leave one of his events of a few hundred and coming to address a Trump rally of thousands.
This challenge to a debate ploy is an old and shopworn attempt of those trailing in the polls to try and gain a big audience at the expense of the front runner.
It would not be a debate. It would be a discussion on a call in radio show where Levin would have 2 guests.
I am pretty resigned to Trump winning this thing, but honestly if Mark Levin was to challenge both of these candidates, Trump would lose big in the discussion and he knows it.
The fact that Trump is ready to sit out a debate tells me he is perhaps a bit overconfident. He will probably get about a third of the Iowa Delgates. Cruz will get 20-25% and the also rans will get the rest. A big win in Iowa really means nothing.
Sen. Ted sure does not look confortable in that picture. Glen needs help.
It will bring in more listeners to Mark’s show.
RE: Trump/Cruz ‘16
or
Cruz/Trump ‘16
___________________
Well, there’s that natural born thing that Trump says needs to be settled, so I don’t think that tandem will happen.
It does look pathetic, doesn’t it ? It only took one crazy (Beck) and one angry whiner (Levin)to take Cruz out of contention ... just think what the Dims would do to Cruz if he was the nominee
Trump may be a popular celebrity, but Cruz is a constitutional genius and would flat......eat.....Trump....alive.....in front of a huge radio audience.
Yes, that is because you are backing yet another lawyer, trained in debating, who has been nothing but a lawyer and a politician, both glib of tongue, for President. No thank you, give me a businessman who has built a real estate empire over a 30 year career as a doer, over a slick talker, any day of the year. You stick with yet another lawyer who has accomplished nothing in his political career as a Senator other than shutting down gov’t, at great expense to the taxpayers, while accomplishing nothing.
Were ad hoc insults forbidden, Trump could not win a debate with Daffy Duck. If insults are allowed, then a match-up between Trump and Hulk Hogan, would be a good watch.
The hatred of Levin and Cruz here is pretty disconcerting. One would think it would be possible to like Trump without hating Cruz and Levin.
Maybe it is possible. I would hope so.
Theorist vs Practitioner.
She’s closely following the phony Mr.Bill O’Really’s schtick, on being “safely controversial”, in all matters of Ratings No-Matter what.
RE: It is true that the Republican debate will lose most of its audience
The RealClearPolitics National Average has Trump at about 36%.
This tells us that 64% of Republicans are either UNDECIDED or for another candidate.
I’m not sure that boycotting the debate will do any favors for Trump for the 64%.
If ya can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!
DESPERATION.
RE: You must have no concept of strategy.
I’m trying to understand Trump’s strategy (if we can call it that ).
The RealClearPolitics National Average has Trump at about 36%.
This tells us that 64% of Republicans are either UNDECIDED or for another candidate.
I’m not sure that boycotting the debate will do any favors for Trump for the 64% strategy-wise.
If Trump polled consistently above 50%, I’d call it a good strategy. This one is questionable.
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