AP Tim Miller, a spokesman for Jon Huntsman's presidential campaign, had this response when asked if his candidate would participate in the Dec. 27 Newsmax debate moderated by Donald Trump: 
 
 "Lol. We look forward to watching Mitt and Newt suck-up to The Donald with a big bowl of popcorn," he said in an email to Business Insider. 
 
 Huntsman declined to meet with Trump at his New York offices, his campaign said, though Trump said last month that it was he who declined to meet Huntsman. 
 
 Deciding to sit-out the debate may help Huntsman with his message that he is the only adult in the GOP field. Another reason is more practical — Huntsman is wagering everything on New Hampshire, and leaving the state for even a day to debate in Iowa detracts from time he can spend wooing Granite State voters. 
 
 His decision to withdraw from the CNN Nevada debate to protest the state's early primary was well-received in New Hampshire, where he is just beginning to show signs of life — breaking double-digits there for the first time in a poll released earlier this week. ||||| 5 years ago 
 
 (CNN) - Donald Trump may have made his fortune on real estate rather than politics, but the host of "The Apprentice" said Wednesday he was more knowledgeable about important issues than any of the journalists moderating presidential debates. 
 
 "I know a lot of the moderators and some are wonderful, and some aren't, but I know the issues better than the moderators," Trump said on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight." 
 
 
 
 Trump is currently slated to host a Republican presidential debate, sponsored by the conservative publication Newsmax, in late December. Three candidates have said they will not participate: Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. 
 
 Trump said he was disappointed Romney declined his invitation. 
 
 "I was disappointed that Mitt Romney, who's been up to see me at Trump Tower and called me, and, you know, we've had numerous calls, wants very much to have my endorsement," Trump said. "I was actually very disappointed that he didn't do the debate. I was actually surprised. He's a good guy, but I was actually surprised that he didn't do the debate." 
 
 Trump said the ratings on his reality show "The Apprentice" should have induced candidates to participate in his event. 
 
 "I get great ratings," Trump said. "Frankly, this debate, with the right people in it, would be very, very successful." 
 
 Speaking about Romney, Trump said: "If I were down in the polls, I'd want to do every debate I could." 
 
 Trump said he would publicly endorse a candidate in the coming weeks, and spoke highly of Huntsman and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the interview. Gingrich has agreed to participate in the Trump/Newsmax debate. ||||| Donald Trump faces an exodus of support from top Utah Republicans after the disclosure of a damning video showing him bragging about groping and kissing women in a way some believe would constitute sexual assault. 
 
 Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Rep. Jason Chaffetz said they can no longer vote for Trump, while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Chris Stewart said the Republican presidential nominee should drop out of the race. 
 
 The video, first reported by The Washington Post, is a bombshell in this highly unusual contest and it comes just two days before the second presidential debate. Among the offensive things Trump says in the three-minute video is that he tries to sleep with married women and that he is forceful with a woman he finds attractive. 
 
 "I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait," he says. "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything." 
 
 "Grab them by the p---sy," he says. "You can do anything."
– Donald Trump may be hosting a Republican debate later this month, but Jon Huntsman for one wants no part of it. "We look forward to watching Mitt and Newt suck up to The Donald with a big bowl of popcorn," a spokesman tells Business Insider. Trump tells Fox News he doesn't care because Huntsman isn't a "serious candidate." Ever the ratings-conscious showman, the Donald also says he might just endorse someone after the Dec. 27 debate, notes Media Matters. (Click for the Huntsman daughters' latest video.)