"Trump Chooses Fox News Town Hall Over CNN Iowa Debate Ahead of Caucuses"
Donald J. Trump has opted out of participating in the CNN Republican presidential primary debate in Iowa, choosing instead to attend a Fox News town hall. The CNN debate will now feature a head-to-head between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, both of whom are significantly trailing Trump in Iowa polls. Other candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie did not qualify for the debate. DeSantis and Haley have criticized Trump's decision to skip the debate, with Haley urging him to participate and DeSantis's spokesman suggesting Trump is avoiding defending his record.