The Republican National Committee still hopes Donald Trump will show up at the Fox News/Google debate, Communications Director and Chief Strategist Sean Spicer said Thursday morning, but Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said there is no way that is going to happen.
"We'd love him there, we'd love all the candidates there," Spicer told
MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "We hope he'll change his mind. We can make accommodations up to a close time, but this is an opportunity for all the candidates to give the American people an opportunity to hear them right before the Iowa caucuses."
Trump is planning his own event Thursday night, at the same time the GOP debate takes place, after deciding on Tuesday to back out after Fox News taunted him over his demands that show host Megyn Kelly be removed as moderator for the event.
But there are no negotiations going on the get Trump to change his mind, Spicer said.
"With each campaign as we head into a debate there's logistical things we handle," he told the program. "We've stayed in contact with the campaign to make sure they knew they were able to still participate and made sure they weren't going to participate."
He does, though, think the RNC has a good relationship with the candidates, and believes he or RNC Chairman Reince Priebus or other senior RNC officials speak with all the campaigns almost on a daily basis.
Pierson, meanwhile, told
CNN's "New Day" show that Trump will definitely not be at the debate Thursday.
"This is really more about the respect that Mr. Trump has been given particularly by Fox News," said Pierson. "Everyone saw the statement that came out. It was extremely unprofessional. Mr. Trump has been the front-runner of the Republican Party in this race since he entered in June . . . and it is not just about Mr. Trump.
"It is about 40 percent of the base that is supporting him nationwide. The upside to this is now Mr. Trump can focus on doing something he's been wanting to do for a very long time and that is to hold an event for veterans."
But even that event, being held at
Drake University in Des Moines at 9 p.m.Thursday night, is bringing complaints, including from CNN commentator Ben Ferguson, who appeared opposite Pierson and argued about Trump's plans to hold an event to raise money for veterans.
"This is a sick and vile move by a guy who loves to throw those words around," Ferguson told Pierson on the show.
"To use wounded warriors and their true battle scars to his political advantage, I would say this to Katrina, I'm not dumb enough to buy that this is about the veterans. Because Donald Trump has never held an event for veterans on his campaign to help and support them with raising money. He uses them for cover now."
Also, he pointed out, Trump is "a guy who said [Sen.] John McCain is not a hero . . . because he got captured. And 'I don't like people that get captured.'"
"Donald Trump also tried to kick veterans who had special permits to sell things to make a living in New York City away from his hotels multiple times because he said they were a nuisance and were bad for his properties."
He also predicted that "many veterans are going to be turned off by this. Many have said they think this is disgusting. They went and fought for their country and now Donald Trump uses them as political pawns. I can't support it and it's sick."
Pierson, though, insisted that Trump has talked about helping veterans before, and that he decided to do the event instead of the debate.
"This is about the 40 percent of his base that is constantly offended on a daily basis from pundits like Ben who tell everyone that they shouldn't be supporting Trump and here are the reasons why," she said.
"Everyone has their own life experience. There are major issues across the world. And we have an American political system where a news network can mock a presidential candidate who is leading in the Republican Party who has also has connections to other campaigns as well as policies on the Hill."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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