For its upcoming GOP debate from New Hampshire, ABC News will have one less partner. The network decided to remove the Union Leader, New Hampshire’s leading newspaper from participation in the Feb. 6 debate. The decision comes a day after this Donald Trump tweet:
I’m protesting the @UnionLeader from having anything to do w/ ABC debate. Their unethical record doesn’t give them the right to be involved!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2016
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Sources inside ABC News tell TVNewser Trump’s tweet didn’t play into their decision, but rather, that the relationship with the newspaper had been challenging since they partnered for the Dec. 19 Democratic debate.
It wasn’t clear what the Union Leader’s role in the GOP debate was to be. Occurring just three days before voters to go the polls for the first-in-the-nation primary, the debate will be co-moderated by ABC’s David Muir, Martha Raddatz and Josh McElveen, political director of New Hampshire ABC affiliate WMUR.
ABC had the most-watched GOP debate of the 2012 cycle, drawing 7.6 million for a Dec. 10, 2011 match. Every GOP debate this cycle has garnered double, and in some cases triple that number, mostly due to the draw of the GOP frontrunner, Donald Trump.
Update: After the decision, Trump took a victory lap on Twitter:
This is really unfair and a conflict for all the other candidates. I said it should not be allowed and ABC agreed.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2016
Union Leader refuses to comment as to why they were kicked out of the ABC News debate like a dog. For starters, try getting a new publisher!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2016