Next week’s Republican presidential debate in Salt Lake City, Utah was cancelled Wednesday after Donald Trump said he likely would not attend, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee confirmed to NBC News.
Trump told debate host Fox News that he did not know about the planned showdown Monday and had another event scheduled.
“I think we’ve had enough debates,” Trump said on Fox & Friends Wednesday, adding that he is “making a major speech in front of a very important group of people.”
Trump later said he is addressing the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee and cannot make what would be the 13th GOP showdown.
A spokesman for John Kasich said the Ohio governor would also skip the debate if it did not include Trump.
"This morning, Donald Trump announced he would not be participating in the debate. Shortly afterward, John Kasich's campaign announced that without Trump at the debate, Kasich would not participate. Ted Cruz has expressed a willingness to debate Trump or Kasich -- or both," Fox News said in a statement. "But obviously, there needs to be more than one participant. So the Salt Lake City debate is cancelled."
