Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has offered to bring the debate to Donald Trump after the GOP front-runner announced Wednesday he would not attend next week’s Fox News debate in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Cruz, ranked second behind Trump in the Washington Examiner’s latest presidential power rankings, criticized the New York billionaire for “ducking yet another Fox News debate” to speak at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, D.C., on March 21.
“Donald can’t duck us for the rest of this campaign, and so we will happily press the issue until the public pressure becomes too much for him to bear,” Cruz for President spokesman Ron Nehring said in a statement late Wednesday. “Mr. Trump, if you won’t debate in Utah, we’ll bring the debate to you.”
Although the AIPAC speaking opportunity is not a debate, Cruz’s campaign said if Trump chooses to ignore his request, the senator will use his time for remarks to address Trump’s policy positions. Cruz’s team said the occasion would be a fitting time to discuss in front of thousands of people Trump’s relationship with Israel.
It’s the second time the Texas senator has challenged Trump to a one-on-one debate because he decided to pull out from a scheduled TV event after a similar invitation Cruz made in January.
Fox News cancelled Monday’s debate after third-ranked Ohio Gov. John Kasich bailed from the debate earlier in the day and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio ended his campaign Tuesday night, which would have left only Cruz on stage.
