Trump is skipping Thursday’s GOP debate

Donald Trump’s campaign manager says Trump is skipping the next Republican debate.

The Republican candidates are set to square off in the Fox News debate Thursday night, their last debate before Monday’s Iowa caucuses.

Trump previously had said he may not show up. But campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said during a Tuesday evening news conference in Marshalltown, Iowa, that the GOP front-runner “will not be participating in the Fox News debate Thursday.”

Trump has criticized Fox News for “playing games” and for including anchor Megyn Kelly as a debate moderator. He says Kelly is a third-rate reporter who is bad at her job and shouldn’t be allowed to participate.

Trump says Fox will make a fortune off the debate, and that he asked the network to donate to wounded veterans groups.

Instead of the debate, Trump says he will probably hold his own event in Iowa for wounded veterans.

Also Tuesday, an Arizona sheriff known far beyond his home state for his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration joined Trump on the campaign trail in Iowa.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio appeared with the Republican candidate at a rally as Trump’s campaign touted the sheriff’s support.

Trump’s immigration policy proposals include building a wall across the entirety of the U.S.-Mexico border and deporting everyone who lives in the U.S. illegally.

Arpaio has joined legal efforts to fight President Barack Obama’s plan to spare millions of people from deportation, though the U.S. Supreme court last week refused to hear his appeal of a lower court ruling that said the sheriff has no legal basis to challenge the program.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Trump is skipping Thursday’s GOP debate."