Never mind. What the business magnate really wants voters to know is that he will get whatever it is that he wants. Because — in case you haven't heard — negotiating stuff is kind of his thing.

"I renegotiated the debates in the primaries, remember?" he told Time. "They were making a fortune on them, and they had us in for three and a half hours, and I said, 'That's ridiculous.' I'm sure they'll be open to any suggestions I have because I think they'll be very fair suggestions."

Since we're rehashing GOP primary debate talks, let's remember that Trump repeatedly tried and failed to make media sponsors pony up appearance fees (for charity, of course) and that Fox News told him to take a hike when he pushed for Megyn Kelly to be removed as a moderator. So his debate-negotiating track record is mixed, at best.

But the biggest problem with Trump's boast is the "making a fortune" part. Yes, money is a powerful lever. Whatever limited success he had in primary debate negotiations can probably be attributed — in part, at least — to TV networks' desire to get Trump on board and maximize advertising revenue. CNN reportedly charged 40 times its normal ad rate for spots during a Republican debate last fall.

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But general election debates are different. There are no commercials. The formats were set last month by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. The events will air on multiple broadcast and cable networks.

In short, the negotiating environment is dramatically different. In the primary season, Trump enjoyed the leverage that comes with sitting across the table from for-profit media companies that stood to lose ad dollars. Now, however, there are no ads to be sold or not sold, and the party across the table is a debate commission that seemingly stands to lose more — in damage to its reputation — by caving to Trump's demands than by letting him walk away.