Donald Trump seems to be sticking to his announced plan to skip Thursday night’s GOP debate on Fox News. However, he’s scheduled to appear on the network’s O’Reilly Factor tonight. Is this all a “big put-on?” Hot Air wonders.

Meanwhile, Trump and his team continued their assault on debate moderator Megyn Kelly Wednesday. Campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told ABC’s Good Morning America that the Fox News host is “completely obsessed” with Trump. Trump himself went even lower.

I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct. Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2016

Seems the Clinton’s old friend is having his own “bimbo eruption.”

For her part, Kelly tells Extra that skipping the debate would be a “bad decision” on Trump’s part, given how tight the polls are in Iowa. But, she says, “I will be surprised if he doesn’t show up. Donald Trump is a showman, he’s very good at generating interest.”

As for Trump personally, “I neither like nor dislike him,” she said. “I don’t really spend a lot of time thinking about him.”  For Trump, that may well be the most unkind, “unfair” insult of all.

Michael Moore to the Rescue!

The reaction to Trump’s decision reeks less of presidential politics than it does reality television  … or an episode of The X-Files. In what other alternative universe could you imagine liberal gadfly Michael Moore a) on Fox News b) defending Fox News c) offering kind support to Megyn Kelly? But it happened last night, when Moore was on The Kelly File to plug his new movie. It was a surreal television moment that has to be seen to be believed. “What’s he (Trump) afraid of?” Moore said at one point. “I’m sitting here, right? Donald, come sit with me, and I’ll hold your hand. She’s fine.” Moore also offered to take Megyn to dinner.

The Cruz Challenge

With all the clamor over the Trump-Megyn Kelly battle, it would be tempting to forget that Trump’s real challenger at the moment is Ted Cruz. At least one poll shows a statistical dead heat in Iowa, with only five days to go until the caucus. Sen. Cruz quickly jumped on Trump for skipping out on the debate, calling it “disrespectful” to Iowa voters. He mocked the billionaire as a “fragile soul” who is apparently “scared to face Megyn Kelly.”

He then issued his challenge: a one-on-one debate, anytime between now and the Iowa caucus. They wouldn’t even need a moderator. “We’ll do 90 minutes, Lincoln-Douglas, mano-a-mano, Donald and me,” Cruz said, “He can lay out his vision for this country, and I can lay out my vision for this country in front of the men and women of Iowa.”

On Wednesday, Trump rejected the challenge, with a birther twist:

Even though I beat him in the first six debates, especially the last one, Ted Cruz wants to debate me again. Can we do it in Canada?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2016

Meanwhile, Cruz has created a new website duckingdonald.com poking fun at Trump and plugging the proposed debate. His website is also selling “Make Trump Debate Again” hats.

(Courtesy TedCruz.org)

The Other Candidates

Donald Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski claimed this morning that other GOP candidates are thinking about following Trump’s lead and bailing on tomorrow’s debate. The callers, he claims, tell him they want out, “because, you know, if Fox isn’t going to be fair to you, what makes you think they’re going to be fair to us?”

It wasn’t Chris Christie on the phone. He says he’s “glad” Trump won’t be there, pointing out that when you’re a leader “you gotta show up.”

It wasn’t Jeb Bush. He tweeted:

.@realDonaldTrump Do you know who else is scared of tough qs from Fox & @megynkelly? Barack Obama. Enough whining.

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 26, 2016

It certainly wasn’t Rand Paul on the ringer. His reaction to the Trump news? “The IQ of the debate went up a couple dozen points,” he said, “Good riddance.”

A Veteran’s Group has the Last Word

Donald Trump says he’ll hold a fundraiser for veterans and wounded warriors rather than attend the debate. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America founder Paul Reickhoff is not impressed.

If offered, @IAVA will decline donations from Trump's event. We need strong policies from candidates, not to be used for political stunts.

— Paul (PJ) Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) January 27, 2016

Remember that Trump has threatened not to show up several other times for debates, only to change his mind. Come Thursday night, will Trump be at a benefit helping wounded warriors or will he be on the debate stage having healed his wounded ego? We’ll know for sure at 9 p.m. eastern time Thursday.