'I hope that one of the major networks will be prepared to sponsor that debate,' Sanders said today in Southern California

It began as a joke on Jimmy Kimmel but became serious after Sanders replied 'game on' and said he looks forward to debating the Republican

What he wants: Money for 'maybe women's health issues or something – if we can raise $10 million or $15 million for charity'

Trump said he would be happy to debate Sanders before California primary

Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that he's prepared to publicly debate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders – if a TV network is willing to send $10-15 million of its ad revenues from the event to women's health charities.

'I'd love to debate Bernie. He's a dream,' Trump said during a press conference on the margins of an oil and gas industry conference in North Dakota.

Sanders won't likely be the Democrats' presidential nominee and earn a spot in the official head-to-head debates in September and October.

But the one-of-a-kind event, which came up Wednesday night on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' could be a windfall for charity and help burnish Trump's image.

'I said last night on Jimmy's show ... I said I'd love to debate him but I want a lot of money put up for charity,' Trump said Thursday at the Bismarck Events Center.

He said he would commit to the extracurricular debate 'if we can raise – for maybe women's health issues or something – if we can raise $10 million or $15 million for charity, which would be a very appropriate amount.'

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Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday that he's prepared to publicly debate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders – if a TV network is willing to send $10-15 million of its ad revenues from the event to women's health charities

For his part, Sanders said this afternoon that he was eager to meet the billionaire so he could 'hold him accountable for his outrageously bigoted remarks.' He's seen here later at an event in Ventura, where the brought the topic back up and said he'd ask Trump about his involvement in the birther movement

Trump told reporters he would commit to the extracurricular debate 'if we can raise – for maybe women's health issues or something – if we can raise $10 million or $15 million for charity, which would be a very appropriate amount'

'I understand the television business very well and I think we'd get high ratings. It should be in a big arena somewhere. And we could have a lot of fun with it.'

For his part, Sanders said this afternoon at a Los Angeles town hall that he was eager to meet the billionaire so he could 'hold him accountable for his outrageously bigoted remarks.'

'I hope that one of the major networks will be prepared to sponsor that debate,' Sanders said at the Revolt town hall, the first stop on today's Southern California swing.

Sanders hinted that he's ready to publicly hammer Trump for his positions on wages, global warming, Mexican immigration and women's issues.

He said he would be prepared to 'rent out the largest stadium they have here in California.'

He later said at a rally in Ventura in front of 9,800 supporters that he 'can't wait' to question Trump about his involvement in the birther movement.

'Maybe he can tell us why he was one of the leaders of the so-called "birther movement" designed to try and de-legitimize the presidency of the first African-American president that we have ever had,' Sanders jabbed.

Jimmy Kimmel had parlayed an offer to debate to Trump on Wednesday evening during his show.

Kimmel said he'd asked Sanders, tonight's guest, to provide him with a question for Trump.

Sanders wanted to know if the Republican White House candidate would be willing to step in for Hillary Clinton and debate him before the California primary.

'Yes I am, how much is he going to pay me?' Trump said in response. 'Because if I debated him, we would have such high ratings.'

The Republican presidential nominee said, 'I think I should give, take that money and give it to some worthy charity. Okay?'

'If he paid a nice sum toward a charity, I would love to do that.'

Sanders said after the show that would be fine by him.

'Game on. I look forward to debating Donald Trump in California before the June 7 primary,' Sanders tweeted early Thursday morning.

He followed up with another tweet this afternoon. 'I am delighted Donald Trump has agreed to debate,' Sanders wrote. 'Let's do it in the biggest stadium possible.'

The U.S. senator had been hoping for another debate against Hillary Clinton before California, the last battleground state before the party conventions, but her campaign said Monday she wasn't interested.

Trump had invited Bernie Sanders to debate for charity on Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday evening

Sanders immediately took to Twitter on Wednesday night to accept Trump's challenge

Sanders brought up the debate again Thursday on Twitter, suggesting that the political duo known for their large crowds book the biggest venue possible

Representatives for the Trump campaign suggested Thursday morning that Trump was not really planning to debate Sanders, either.

Healy Baumgardner, a senior press representative for the Trump campaign, poured cold water on the idea in an appearance on CNN on Thursday when asked whether a debate was happening.

‘Not that I'm aware of,’ she said

A Trump campaign aide told DailyMail.com the debate offer was 'a friendly but half-joking moment in a lighthearted, funny interview,' but declined to say whether or not Sanders' agreement with the idea would make it difficult to abandon it.

By Thursday afternoon both candidates had latched onto the idea.

Sanders is the victim of a 'rigged' Democratic primary system, Trump charged, making a special event the only chance the two men might have to spar publicly without Clinton in the mix.

'The biggest problem is that Bernie's not going to win. But I would debate him anyway if they wanted to put up money for charity,' Trump said at this afternoon's news conference, as he claimed his campaign has 'had a couple of calls from the networks already.'

'I'd love to debate Bernie. But they have to pay a lot of money for it,' he insisted.

Clinton laughed off the idea of the competition sidelining her this afternoon during an interview with ABC News. She also got a laugh out of a suggestion from the network that she could join them,

'Well, I understood they said that was a joke,' Clinton said. 'I’m gonna look forward to debating Donald Trump.'

Sanders is behind Clinton in votes and pledged delegates.

He must win at least seven in 10 Democratic voters in California to elbow Clinton out of the race.

Trump told Kimmel on Wednesday that he'd welcome Sanders as his opponent in the general because he believes he'd be easier to beat than Clinton.

In the lengthy interview on the talk show Trump revealed that he's never met Sanders but shares the Democrat's belief that he's been slighted by his party.

Once considered a wild card candidate himself, Trump commiserated with Sanders over the 'rigged' Democratic primary system that allows party bosses to pick the winner.

'What I like about Bernie, when he loses [it's] because the system is rigged against him like it was against me. The system is rigged.'

'And if I didn't win by massive landslides in every state, there was no chance for me to win. He's having the same thing, except she has a different kind of deal with superdelegates.'

Trump said, 'I don't like what's happening,' he said. 'We had it too, the Republicans, in a more sophisticated way.'

Clinton laughed off the idea of the competition sidelining her this afternoon during an interview with ABC News. 'Well, I understood they said that was a joke,' Clinton said. 'I’m gonna look forward to debating Donald Trump.'

He gave himself credit for coming up with the phrase 'rigged' to describe the process - 'then I started winning by so much that it didn't matter whether or not it was rigged.'

Continuing, he said, 'I think it's unfair what's happening to Bernie Sanders, actually,' he said. 'And it's a system that's not a good system.'

Sanders could catch up to Clinton in pledged delegates by winning California.

A majority of the superdelegates - the party officials who also get to vote at the convention - are backing Clinton, however.

Because of that, she's less than 100 delegates away from winning the nomination and is readying herself for November.

As part of her pivot Clinton has stopped talking about Sanders on the trail. It's Trump she has her eye on now.

After saying she'd debate Sanders in California earlier in the campaign Clinton decided this week that her time would be better spent 'preparing for a general election,' a spokeswoman for her campaign said on Monday.

'Maybe he can tell us why he was one of the leaders of the so-called birther movement designed to try and delegitimize the presidency of the first African-American president that we have ever had,' Sanders said in Ventura

Entering today's town hall in Hollywood, Sanders immediately brought up the potential debate with Trump and used it to swat at Clinton.

'Donald Trump has agreed to debate me and I look forward to that,' Sanders said. 'And Hillary Clinton has not to agreed to debate me here in California.'

'I think it's important that somebody hold him accountable for his outrageously bigoted remarks against Mexicans and Latinos, against Muslims, against women and veterans and African-Americans and tell him to his face that the strength of our country is our diversity, in our coming together,' Sanders said, a familiar like from his stump speech, but more pointed now that there's a chance that the Vermont senator and the billionaire could come head-to-head.

'And it does this country no good when you have a candidate for president tearing us apart,' Sanders added.

Sanders is on a shoestring budget after a $20 million drop-off in donations in April and needs the free TV time to promote his candidacy.

Clinton's strategy to deprive him of oxygen could backfire if he performs well in a debate with Trump.