News / Politics

Trump demanded $5mn to participate in debate: Fox News

Friday, 29 January 2016 1:24 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 29 January 2016 3:19 PM ]

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles as he speaks to veterans at Drake University on January 28, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. (AFP photo)

Fox News has accused US presidential contender Donald Trump of demanding $5 million for his appearance at the network’s Thursday night GOP debate in Des Moines, Iowa.

Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, announced on Tuesday that he would not participate in the GOP debate because, he claimed, Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly treated him unfairly during a previous Republican debate hosted by the network.

A Fox News spokesman told The Hill newspaper on Thursday that Trump told the network that he would only participate in the debate if it donated $5 million to charities.

"We explained that was not possible and we could not engage in a quid pro quo, nor could any money change hands for any reason,” the spokesman said.

Trump skipped the seventh GOP presidential debate of the campaign and staged an event in Des Moines, Iowa, to raise money for military veterans.

The Fox News spokesman, in his statement, also rejected Trump's recent claims that the network's CEO called him several times after he decided to pull out of the debate.

“Roger Ailes had three brief conversations with Donald Trump today about possibly appearing at the debate there were not multiple calls placed by Ailes to Trump," the official said.

"We acknowledged his concerns about a satirical observation we made in order to quell the attacks on Megyn Kelly, and prevent her from being smeared any further."

He said Fox News stood by "our journalistic standards" as well as Kelly, noting that it is "proud to have her on stage as a debate moderator."

Trump and Kelly have had an ongoing feud since the first GOP debate in August last year during which Kelly confronted the controversial candidate about his disparaging remarks about women, calling them "fat pigs," "dogs," and "slobs."

Trump’s supporters subsequently threatened Kelly and the candidate himself attacked the journalist in various TV appearances.

Fox News said on Tuesday the war of words escalated behind the scenes over the weekend, and accused Trump’s campaign manager of "terrorizations" against Kelly.

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