With Only Two Candidates In, Trump Debate Now in Doubt

By Alex Weprin 

The December 27 debate hosted by Ion TV and Newsmax–and moderated by Donald Trump–may be in doubt after only two candidates have committed to attending. So far only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have agreed to participate in the debate, with Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul all declining.

A source familiar with the situation says that planning for the debate continues on the assumption it will happen December 27, though a change could be possible.

Update: Newsmax tells the New York Times that the debate is still on as of this afternoon.

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On “Imus in the Morning,” this morning Trump was asked whether the debate was still on, and he said “I don’t know, I have to look into it,” noting that he was asked if he would consider promising not to run as an independent down the line. He said he could not make any such promise.

Trump also let out a couple of other comments that raised a few eyebrows:

He said his debate “would have the biggest ratings of all the debates,” which would be quite a challenge, considering Ion TV’s relative distribution and brand awareness when compared to the cable news channels. He also said that Bachmann asked him to be her Vice President if she received the nomination, drawing laughs from the Imus team.

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