Trump wants $10 m for debate with Sanders

Washington, May 27 

Agreeing to engage in a one-on- one debate with Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has sought $10 million charity from the news channel who would be hosting the event.

The money, he said, would be given to various charity or non-governmental organisations working in the field of women’s health issues or something.

“I’d love to debate Bernie. He’s a dream,” Trump told reporters in Bismarck, North Dakota, after he secured enough delegates to clinch the Republican presidential nomination. “I think it would get very high ratings. It would be in a big arena.”

“So what we can do, if we can raise for maybe women’s health issues or something — if we can raise $10-15 million for charity, which would be a very appropriate amount. I understand the television business very well,” Trump said.

In the last one year, a television debate with Trump has been receiving a record viewership. Sanders is running far behind Democrat front-runner Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination for the presidential election.

A day earlier on the “Jimmy Kimmel Love” Sanders campaign was given a chance to ask Trump a question.

Sanders asked if he was ready for a debate with him. “Yes, I am. How much is he going to pay me? If he paid a nice sum toward a charity, I’d love to do that,” Trump said on Wednesday night. Sanders accepted the offer. He has proposed that the debate be held in California where the primary is scheduled on June 7.

Clinton has described it as a joke. “I know they’ve gone back and forth on this. They seem to be saying it’s some kind of joke. Trump doesn’t sound very serious, but I can tell you I’m looking forward to debating Donald Trump in the general election. I really can’t wait to get on the debate stage with him,” Clinton told MSNBC. — PTI 

A billionaire vs a democratic socialist 

• Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders explored staging an unconventional US presidential debate that would sideline Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and create a television spectacle that could attract huge ratings
• The two men - a billionaire and a democratic socialist - expressed interest in a one-on-one encounter in California even though Republican and Democratic presidential candidates traditionally do not debate each other until the parties have selected their nominees
• Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in an email there were no formal plans yet for a debate. But Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told CNN there had been “a few discussions” between the campaigns about the details