Posted on 01/28/2016 10:58:41 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum will attend Donald Trump's pro-veterans event on Thursday at the same time as Fox News's prime-time presidential debate.
Spokesmen for both candidates confirmed to The Hill that the Republican presidential will still participate in Thursday's undercard GOP debate, but will head to the Trump event after.
The undercard debate begins at 7 p.m. Eastern, two hours before Trump's event is slated to start three miles away. That gives candidates who failed to reach the main stage the freedom to participate, while anyone slated for the main stage would have to skip the debate altogether to attend.
Huckabee said that he didn't speak with Trump directly about the plans, but that his staff had expressed interest in conversation with the Trump campaign. He added that he doesn't believe the decision to join Trump at the event sends a negative message to those candidates taking part in the main-stage debate.
"It's to honor the troops, it's not an endorsement of Donald Trump's candidacy. I'm still running for president, we've got the caucuses Monday night, but I'm delighted to join with Donald Trump in an effort to salute the veterans," Huckabee said Thursday on CNN's "Wolf."
"I'm not invited to the main stage, I would have loved to have been on that stage ... if they aren't sitting out in the audience watching me, I don't feel any compulsion that I have to be there for that debate.
Trump's campaign scheduled the event after he decided to pull out of Fox News's debate because the network issued a strongly worded statement in response to his calls to remove Megyn Kelly as a moderator.
His campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, has said the event will raise funds for veterans organizations, but the campaign has not elaborated which ones will benefit.
Trump tweeted
Thursday morning that two campaigns had reached out with interest in joining his event, but he did not identify the candidates.
His decision to skip the debate has prompted criticism from his GOP rivals.
Ted Cruz, his closest challenger in recent polls, challenged him to a one-on-one debate this Saturday, and two Cruz-aligned super-PACs promised to donate $1.5 million to veterans organizations if Trump agreed.
The decision by both candidates to stand by Trump despite criticism from other candidates could be seen by supporters as a signal to support Trump.
Both Huckabee, the 2008 Iowa caucus winner, and Santorum, the 2012 caucus winner, have long histories with the state's evangelical population.
But they have seen those voters flee him in droves, mostly to Trump and Cruz, and both lag behind the majority of the field in fundraising.
While other rivals framed Trump's decision as fear to defend his record, Huckabee lauded Trump for manipulating the media during an interview this week on Fox's "Hannity" and jokingly asked
to take his spot on the main debate stage.
During the CNN interview, Huckabee said Trump would be on his vice presidential shortlist.
Huckabee also didn't argue with the assertion that he'd be more comfortable with Trump as the nominee than Cruz, and took the opportunity to criticize Cruz for cozying up to hedge-fund billionaires and for moderating his stances depending on the audience.
Well, I know of 2 people gunning for cabinet appointments.
As Bill Mitchell pointed out, he shot Fox News, and nobody cared.
I respectfully suggest that the crappy situation we find ourselves in today has nothing to do with the professions of those we've elected, but rather the substance of their beliefs.
No, I want them to be able to work honestly to get support. Funding your own best friend (yourself) is not exactly the same.
I wasn’t posting to you, that’s why you don’t get it.
Check this out:
Lewandowski said 360 members of the media have been credentialed to cover the event. Not even presidents get this kind of media.
Lewandowski said the Trump campaign has received 4,000 RSVPs for tonight’s event. The theater in which it will be held holds 776 people, so the campaign is working to set up giant screens for an overflow viewing area outside. (Forecast temperature: 28 degrees, fairly balmy for Des Moines these days.) In addition, Lewandowski said 360 members of the media have been credentialed to cover the event.
"Don't look now, but while our best conservative is running a political campaign, Trump is leading a rebellion. Not as a liberal or a conservative politician, but as a successful red-blooded, can-do American capitalist.", Jim Robinson
Sadly, I've seen these violated repeatedly by these types of folks.
Sorry to paint Cruz with that brush but I've seen in his speeches and interviews that similar personality where I feel I'm gonna get sold out. Just a matter of time.
Still voting for him though if he's the guy. I have kids and am worried that their future is not as bright as it should be.
Set up outside heaters for the huge overflow crowd. They work great like we see at NFL games.
What Catholic or Evangelical wants to vote for Santrumpabee?
Not only that, but with Trump not participating, I think that means for once he won't be sucking all the oxygen out of the room with respect to how the news cycle treats Cruz's performance.
So I think Cruz will actually get more post-debate coverage than he would if Trump were there.
That's... what 3 out of 10... I've lost count. Let's go with that.
Fox News! Where 30% of the candidates won't even watch our debate!
Funding yourself is called Free Speech.
FNC just made the entire debate the undercard.
The pundits will speak with their effete pontification but will have deer in the headlights looks (in the end we hope)
[Trump spokesperson's only response.. was the more general campaign statement]
.. "Many years later, Mr. Trump was responsible for the building of the beautiful Vietnam War Memorial in lower Manhattan, for which he contributed a tremendous sum of money," that statement concludes. "He was also responsible for bringing back the New York City Memorial Day parade in 1995, after our military was embarrassed by the previous year's parade where almost nobody showed up. Mr. Trump's parade was one of the largest parades ever held. Today, he remains committed to helping and honoring all of our Veterans."
Its why all of the genuflecting and uncritical acceptance of what those vying for the top spot say strikes me as very very unfortunate.
Yep, return much of what D.C. is doing back to the states, return the land D.C. has stolen, shut down several of the departments, seal our borders and allow/foster free market fixes to our problems.
I think you’re missing the point that he’s spent the least... probably because it’s not sometime else’s money. Talk about spending, look at Jeb.
#winner
Best point today!
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