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The VICE Guide to the 2016 Election

Read Donald Trump's Insane Explanation for Dropping Out of the GOP Debate

"Unlike the very stupid, highly incompetent people running our country into the ground, Mr. Trump knows when to walk away."
Photo via Flickr user Gage Skidmore

Donald Trump, a businessman and television celebrity who plans to be made president of the United States soon, won't be at the next Republican presidential debate, which is being hosted by Fox News in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday night.

Trump teased this possible absence at a press conference Tuesday, saying he probably wouldn't show. Afterward, a representative clarified that he definitely wouldn't show. But since that apparently left some ambiguity, Trump clarified the matter with a formal statement, via Twitter.

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The statement is, of course, bananas. Here's the whole thing:

As someone who wrote one of the best-selling business books of all time, The Art of the Deal, who has built an incredible company, including some of the most valuable and iconic assets in the world, and as someone who has a personal net worth of many billions of dollars, Mr. Trump knows a bad deal when he sees one. FOX News is making tens of millions of dollars on debates, and setting ratings records (the highest in history), where as in previous years they were low-rated afterthoughts.

Unlike the very stupid, highly incompetent people running our country into the ground, Mr. Trump knows when to walk away. Roger Ailes and FOX News think they can toy with him, but Mr. Trump doesn't play games. There have already been six debates, and according to all online debate polls including Drudge, Slate, Time Magazine, and many others, Mr. Trump has won all of them, in particular the last one. Whereas he has always been a job creator and not a debater, he nevertheless truly enjoys the debating process—and it has been very good for him, both in polls and popularity.

He will not be participating in the FOX News debate and will instead host an event in Iowa to raise money for the Veterans and Wounded Warriors, who have been treated so horribly by our all talk, no action politicians. Like running for office as an extremely successful person, this takes guts and it is the kind mentality our country needs in order to Make America Great Again.

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