You can take the man out of business, but you can’t take the business out of the man.
After helping shatter records in the first Republican debate on August 6, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is demanding CNN, the host of the second debate, rewards him for his efforts.
In a recent press conference in Iowa, Trump said he is “thinking about” asking CNN to contribute $10 million to the charity of Trump’s choosing, in order to secure his participation.
“Otherwise, I’m not going to debate,” Trump added.
He also suggested earlier, in a recent interview with Time Magazine, that he’s dead serious about shaking down CNN for charity:
“Here’s my question: So if I go to CNN and I say, Look, you’re going to have a massive audience, and if I say to them, I want $10 million for charity, nothing for myself, what happens? I’m not showing up, right?” Trump said.
Obviously, it’d be entirely unprecedented for a candidate to demand he be paid for appearing in a presidential debate–but Trump is no ordinary candidate.
Over the past few months, his poll numbers have skyrocketed–leapfrogging over establishment favorites. Even controversial comments, an uneven debate performance in August, and a public feud with Megyn Kelly and Roger Ailes of Fox News have not hurt him.
The Republican debate on CNN is on September 16–so Trump has a few weeks left to decide whether or not he actually plans to ask for his $10 million payday.
