Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump and fellow candidate Ben Carson are unhappy with the proposed format of the upcoming GOP debate on CNBC, and are threatening to sit it out if the network doesn’t make changes.
The sticking points are the length of the debate — CNBC reportedly wants another three-hour marathon — and the lack of opening and closing statements. The candidates wrote a joint letter to CNBC saying they will boycott the debate if these issues are not addressed, according to The Hill.
The Republican debate that aired last month on CNN ran for three hours and everyone, including the viewers, were exhausted by the end.
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Appearing Thursday on Fox News’ “On the Record,” Trump said CNBC is motivated by money, noting that a 30-second commercial during the debate is going for up to $250,000 and the network wants to add more spots.
“The Democratic debate, if you look at it, that was two hours, and it was too long,” he told host Greta Van Susteren. “Everybody was bored at the end. They want to make this much longer than that. So I think it’s really important that they make it a reasonable period of time.”
“The networks are making a fortune off this stuff,” he added, before tooting his own horn. “I wonder why.”
Staying true to character, the real estate tycoon took to social media to express his dissatisfaction with the debate format:
The @GOP should not agree to the ridiculous debate terms that @CNBC is asking unless there is a major benefit to the party. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2015
.@CNBC is pushing the @GOP around by asking for extra time (and no criteria) in order to sell more commercials. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2015
Why is the @GOP being asked to do a debate that is so much longer than the just-aired and very boring #DemDebate? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2015
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