Donald Trump slams Ron Paul

[YoungRider]

TRENDING: Paul campaign calls Trump debate ‘wildly inappropriate’

CNN's Kevin Liptak

(CNN) - At least two Republican presidential hopefuls are declining to participate in a debate moderated by real estate mogul Donald Trump.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman will both skip the debate, citing concerns about the seriousness of the event.

In a campaign statement released Saturday, Paul's campaign called the debate a distraction from the real issues of the campaign.

"The selection of a reality television personality to host a presidential debate that voters nationwide will be watching is beneath the office of the Presidency and flies in the face of that office's history and dignity," Jesse Benton, Ron Paul's national campaign chairman, said in a statement.

He added, "Mr. Trump's participation as moderator will distract from questions and answers concerning important issues such as the national economy, crushing federal government debt, the role of the federal government, foreign policy, and the like. To be sure, Mr. Trump's participation will contribute to an unwanted circus-like atmosphere."

Benton cited Trump's flirtation with running for president himself as a factor in the decision not to participate in the debate.

"Mr. Trump's selection is also wildly inappropriate because of his record of toying with the serious decision of whether to compete for our nation's highest office, a decision he appeared to make frivolously," Benton said.

Reacting to the Paul campaign's comments, Trump slammed Paul as a non-electable candidate.

"As I said in the past and will reiterate again, Ron Paul has a zero chance of winning either the nomination or the Presidency," Trump said in a statement to CNN. "My poll numbers were substantially higher than any of his poll numbers, at any time, and when I decided not to run, due to the equal time provisions concerning my hit show The Apprentice, I was leading the Republican field."

Trump announced in May he would not seek the nomination.

In his statement, Trump said he was pleased to hear that Paul and Huntsman would be skipping the debate.

"Few people take Ron Paul seriously and many of his views and presentation make him a clown-like candidate," Trump said. "I am glad he and Jon Huntsman, who has inconsequential poll numbers or a chance of winning, will not be attending the debate and wasting the time of the viewers who are trying very hard to make a very important decision."

Huntsman's campaign said Friday the former Utah governor wouldn't be making an appearance at the event.

"We have declined to participate in the 'Presidential Apprentice' Debate with The Donald," Huntsman spokesman Tim Miller said in a statement. "The Republican Party deserves a serious discussion of the issues so voters can choose a leader they trust to defeat President Obama and turn our economy around."

On Friday, the conservative online publication Newsmax announced they were sponsoring the Trump-moderated debate on December 27. It will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, just days before the state holds its first-in-the-nation caucus.

Candidates for the 2012 GOP nomination have been meeting with Trump since this summer. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, businessman Herman Cain and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann have all met with "The Apprentice" host at least once. On Thursday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he would be meeting with Trump on Monday.

[Caiada]

So.... Trump... calling another person a clown and inconsequential in the race. Wow.

[anathama]

Ehh, Trump comes off as a childish ass-hole. Also, I agree he has no reason to hosting something like this; everything he has ever done with the media has been a joke, so I can see why Ron Paul would have no interest in playing along.

"I am glad he and Jon Huntsman, who has inconsequential poll numbers or a chance of winning, will not be attending the debate..." -- Seems like Trump is a sore loser, delivering low blows when he doesn't get his way.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

Why are people still giving Trump any attention? He's like a troll in real life. People need to stop giving him attention so he'll go away.

[Ozzy1346]

did you really name this ''donald trump slams ron paul''

i giggled pretty hard.

but yeah, trump shouldnt really speak much, he knows finance. not much else

[Deleted]

but yeah, trump should really speak much, he knows finance. not much else

Trump totally missed the housing crisis. Paul called it already in 2001. So he's inferior in that field too.

I hope Romney cancels too.

[crakerjack]

Donald trump is a failure, the only reason why he has so much wealth is due to his fathers success... the kid thinks he's so successful yet everything in his life was given, not earned. Pathetic retard. Despise his arrogant ass. Ron Paul 2012!

[Valort]

Lovely that even politics has become entertainment television in some places ^^

[MechaMoose]

Donald Trump... the Honey Badger of the human world

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

did you really name this ''donald trump slams ron paul''

i giggled pretty hard.

but yeah, trump should really speak much, he knows finance. not much else

And really not even that. If it wasn't for his dad he'd be terribly poor. He went into huge debt operating a casino, for christsake.

[Deleted]

Trump:

"Few people take Ron Paul seriously and many of his views and presentation make him a clown-like candidate. I am glad he and Jon Huntsman, who has inconsequential poll numbers or a chance of winning, will not be attending the debate and wasting the time of the viewers who are trying very hard to make a very important decision.

Why is a person who has built a more than 7 billion dollar net worth, with more than 270 million dollars in cash (as per the financial disclosure statement which summary pages are reported in my book being released this Monday "Time To Get Tough") not the right person to lead this country out of economic chaos or at least to moderate a debate. I would like to see how Ron Paul would fair in the world of big business."

Jesse Benton's response (Paul's Campaign manager i think):

"If Trump wants to be taken seriously by Republicans, he needs to quit Celebrity Apprentice and apologize to the Iowa GOP. If he gets his act together, President Paul might consider getting his advice on fixing our countries (sic) financial situation. We understand Donald has a lot of experience with bankruptcy."

Lol

[Badpaladin]

Jesse Benton really did put it well. Anything run by trump is going to be a circus. Glad Paul chose not to participate.

[Very Tired]

People listening to Donald Trump is more news worthy

[Catta]

Trump being that immensly mentally challenged it amaze me how he could have made so much money

[Deleted]

Trump being that immensly mentally challenged it amaze me how he could have made so much money

I doubt his true net worth is 7 Billion.

[Catta]

I doubt his true net worth is 7 Billion.

still a 100 million is too much for a man of his intelligence... then again, that idiot from jersey shore made 5 million... its a crazy world

[Badpaladin]

still a 100 million is too much for a man of his intelligence... then again, that idiot from jersey shore made 5 million... its a crazy world

Jersey Shore is also Government-subsidized. Yeeeaahhhh.

Anyways, Trump isn't worth anything. His father on the other hand was. Trump is nothing more than a trust-fund child with a bad haircut. He has no business in politics.

[GennGreymane]

this thread is not what i expected, i expected some slamming

On topic

trump is the fool.

[Shinshiva]

slammed?

where I'm from "slammed" means you actually said something that 1) made sense in the first place and 2) actually insulted and/or brought the person down low from their high horse.

[RicardoZ]

I think that a lot of people would agree with Ron Paul on a lot of things, but the few things that they disagree with him on are all big-time deal breakers. For example, he wants to audit the Fed, cut taxes, and limit government growth. Most Republicans would love that. But, he's against aid to Israel, advocates an isolationist foreign policy, and is commonly perceived to blame the US itself for 9/11.

I think that the hardest core of the hardest core Republicans would get out there and vote for him just to smite Obama, but a very large chunk of the party would just stay home and if 2008 is anything to go by, the Democrats will definitely have the numbers at the polls to get their guy re-elected.

But even more than all of that, I think that Ron Paul's worst enemy are his grassroots supporters. Most of them are viewed as looney conspiracy theorists who run around New York on 9/11 screaming down victims' families and posting all kinds of strange and unusual things on all corners of the internet, and walk around every major city in the country handing out DVD's that explain how the world is run by a Satanic cult of European bankers who want to kill 3/4 of us and save the rest to be their slaves for all eternity once they've found a way to make themselves immortal.

And if it's not them, then it's the rednecks in the militia movement who quote from "The Turner Diaries" and stockpile illegal weapons in their homes and host shortwave radio shows where they talk about killing police officers and finding the truth about UFO's.

These are the people that are (rightly or wrongly) associated with Ron Paul in the minds of the majority of the public. If for none of the other above reasons, that alone would make him entirely unelectable, so I think that Trump was right.