Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina said early Thursday that her campaign would donate $1.5 million to veterans if rivals Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) agreed to let her debate the two of them directly.
Trump has said he would skip Thursday’s Republican debate, hosted by Fox News, and instead host his own event in Iowa where the proceeds would benefit wounded veterans. Cruz then challenged Trump to a “mano-a-mano” debate, and a pair of Cruz-backed super PACs also sweetened the deal by offering to pay $1.5 million to veterans charities if Trump accepted the challenge.
Fiorina chimed into the conversation on Twitter and said she would donate to the cause, too, if given the opportunity to join in. She also offered to dole out another $2 million to charity if Trump deigned to spar with her at his Iowa event during the primetime Fox News debate:
My campaign will also donate $1.5 million to veterans’ cause to join debate Saturday in Sioux City, @tedcruz @realDonaldTrump (1/2)
— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) January 28, 2016
Upping the ante, I’m free tomorrow at 8pm, @realDonaldTrump. My campaign will give $2mm to veterans’ cause to debate at Drake U. (2/2)
— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) January 28, 2016
My campaign offered to donate $2mm to veterans to debate @realDonaldTrump. I guess @MegynKelly isn’t only one he’s afraid to face tonight.
— Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) January 28, 2016
“She will definitely participate in the Fox News debate tonight,” Fiorina spokeswoman Anna Epstein wrote in an email to TPM.
This post has been updated.
