Trump calls on CNN to donate debate profits to veterans groups

By Ted Johnson Variety.coom

9 years ago

U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump holds up a signed pledge during a press availability at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York September 3, 2015. Trump is expected on Thursday to sign a pledge not to run as an independent candidate if he loses the Republican Party nomination, a party official said, despite earlier refusals to rule out a third-party bid. (Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

Donald Trump (L) talks with fellow candidate and former Jeb Bush during a commercial break at the first official Republican presidential candidates debate of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign in Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 2015. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

Republican 2016 presidential candidate and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R) looks over at businessman Donald Trump (C) and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (L) as the candidates pose with seven other candidates at the first official Republican presidential candidates debate of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign in Cleveland, Ohio, August 6, 2015. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

LOS ANGELES — After threatening this action for weeks, Donald Trump has sent a letter to CNN president Jeff Zucker calling on the news network to donate profits from its upcoming presidential debate to veterans groups.

“Over the weekend, it was announced by numerous entertainment channels and magazines that your ad rates have gone from $5,000 to $200,000, or a 4,000% increase,” Trump wrote in his letter, a photo of which he posted on Twitter. “Since then I have heard you rates will go even higher. While I refuse to brag, and as you know very well, this tremendous increase is due 100% to ‘Donald J. Trump.’ You saw it on The Apprentice [sic] where it was virtually the easiest show to sell advertisers on television, and extraordinary rates.”

Trump was referring to the huge ratings bump that Fox News received after it hosted a Republican debate and that one of the highlights of Zucker’s former tenure as president of NBC Entertainment was signing the real estate mogul on as host of the Mark Burnett-created reality competition series.

Because of this, Trump argued, CNN “should view the second debate broadcast as a public service and not accept the massive profits that this airing will generate.” He wrote that he would send a list of various veterans groups in the near future.

CNN is airing the next presidential debate on Sept. 16 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. A spokeswoman for CNN did not immediately return a request for comment.