CNBC's decision to change the terms of the next GOP debate and extend it for a longer period was a money-making plan that probably rubbed front-runner Donald Trump the wrong way, his son Eric said Friday.
"Maybe it was the commercialization of something that was meant for the good of this country, meaning, you know, trying to monetize the debates for somebody's own self interests," the younger Trump told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" program. "Three hours is a long time...it's long-winded.
On Thursday,
Trump and Ben Carson threatened to stay out of the debate because the terms had changed, and that closing and opening statements would not be allowed. Trump tweeted Friday morning that CNBC had agreed to keep the debate at two hours.
Also on Friday, Trump's son commented on the closeness between his father and Carson, saying it's too early to tell if both will go the distance in the race. However, he predicted that his father would have "the greatest cabinet in the history of cabinets" if he becomes president.
"He would get people from the private sector," said Trump. "He'd get the best of every respective industry...he picks amazing people and they run very hard for him."
Meanwhile, he does agree with his father that he should have Secret Service protection, admitting that he sometimes worries about his dad's safety.
"My father's my best friend. He's my idol. He's my boss," said Trump. "We work side by side. We spend every weekend together. He's really my best friend in the world."
And with 30,000 or more attending Trump rallies, "there's mobs of people, and the energy, it's incredible. But it really only takes one," Trump told Fox News.
He described his father as an energetic man who expected his children to succeed, and called him an "amazingly warm guy" who will "give his shirt off his back for someone he cares about that he loves. Sure he's brash and he's tough but that's what's makes him amazing."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.