Trump blasts Paul for smacking him in forum-skip

Donald Trump apparently didn't take kindly to Ron Paul's decision to skip the NewsMax-hosted forum moderated by the developer and reality TV star, saying it created a circus-like atmosphere around the presidential race.

"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 in response to Paul, adding, "my poll numbers were substantially higher than any of his poll numbers, at any time."


"Few people take Ron Paul seriously and many of his views and presentation make him a clown-like candidate," he 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."

Trump referred to his book that's coming out and his claim he is worth more than $7 billion, and asked why he is "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."

Paul was the first candidate competing in Iowa to reject the invitation for the Dec. 27 event. His move may give cover to other candidates to do the same - although Trump's comments are a reminder of the potential problem with skipping it.