Luke Skywalker
Super Moderator
{vb:raw ozzmodz_postquote}:
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to the crowd at a campaign rally on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2015 in Gilbert, S.C.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Sean Rayford, Getty Images)
Donald Trump stood his ground Wednesday night on The O'Reilly Factor<span style="color: Red;">*</span>about his decision not to participate in this week's Republican debate, even as host Bill O'Reilly tried to convince him otherwise.
The pair went back and forth for the entirety of the 20-minute interview over this topic, with Trump pushing his own rival event to benefit veterans — conveniently scheduled for the same time as the debate — and O'Reilly repeatedly saying he thought Trump was making a mistake.
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"I don't think not showing up is good for America," O'Reilly said. "They need to see you."
Trump disagreed, saying that he had been mistreated by Fox News Channel and by moderator Megyn Kelly, whom he dealt with in the first GOP debate last summer.
"I have zero respect for Megyn Kelly," Trump retorted. "Her question last time was ridiculous."
O'Reilly — who defended Kelly asking Trump her "war on women" question —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said it would be better for Trump to participate so he could take on the moderators. He pointed to the 2012 debate in which Newt Gingrich fiercely responded to CNN moderator John King's question about his<span style="color: Red;">*</span>ex-wife and open marriage. That moment helped Gingrich win the South Carolina primary that year, O'Reilly argued.
Further, if elected, Trump would have to deal with much worse than tough questions from Kelly, O'Reilly<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>As president, Trump would need to stop taking attacks personally.
"Would you say that right now that Donald Trump is a person who can let petty things -- and that's what I think this is all about -- petty things influence him to the extent to that he doesn't do what maybe he should do?" O'Reilly wondered.
"I don't like being advantage of," Trump said. "If I'm representing the country as president... I'm not going to let our country be taken advantage of."
After the interview, O'Reilly asked Gingrich for his take on Trump's decision to skip the debate, the last one to take place before 2016 voting kicks of with the Iowa caucuses next week.
"I think the excuses are laughable," Gingrich said, saying that missing the event wouldn't be to Trump's advantage.
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