Donald Trump And Thursday's Republican Debate: Will He Or Won't He?

Donald Trump wants to make sure you know that he definitely won’t be attending Thursday night’s GOP debate.

Unless, of course, he does.

But some people are still speculating that Trump could make a WWE-style entrance before (or, God forbid, during) the night’s festivities.

Trump tweeted Wednesday night that it was Fox News’ tongue-in-cheek statement — not his best-friend-but-also-sworn-enemy Megyn Kelly moderating the debate — that caused him to back out.

Instead, the Donald says he will hold a fundraiser in Iowa to raise money for Wounded Warriors.

But there was much more talk about the former attorney from Syracuse turned Fox News personality — and not Fox’s pithy statements — in a televised shouting match Wednesday night with Bill O’Reilly.

“I have zero respect for Megyn Kelly,” Trump said of the woman who is definitely not in his head at all. “I don’t think she’s good at what she does and I think she’s highly overrated. And, frankly, she’s a moderator. I thought her question last time was ridiculous.”

O’Reilly tried to massage every nook and cranny of Trump’s ego in an attempt to get him to show up to the debate, which in a total coincidence is also being held on O’Reilly’s network.

He said Trump could use his 60-second open to blast Kelly and set the tone early that he wouldn’t be pushed around.

Then, O’Reilly brought up a 2012 CNN debate in South Carolina when Newt Gingrich was asked questions about his alleged open marriage. Gingrich shut the question down and won the Palmetto State.

Trump could do something similar, a show of strength, and win over even more votes, O’Reilly said. Right?

Nope. Trump insisted he wouldn’t share a stage with Kelly.

“Newt is a friend of mine, and I thought it was an unfair question,” he said. “But equally unfair was the question Megyn Kelly asked me.”

O’Reilly said Trump would be called soft for backing down when the going got the least bit tough.

“I’m not walking away, I was pushed away,” said Trump, whose decision to back out was completely voluntary.

O’Reilly also tried the religious angle, saying Trump should “turn the other cheek,” but Trump wouldn’t bite.

Finally, O’Reilly asked Trump straight up if he would consider reversing his decision. Trump didn’t exactly shut the door completely.

“I told you up front, don’t ask me that question because it’s an embarrassing question for you, and I don’t want to embarrass you,” is all Trump would say.

So now, we hold our breaths and wait. Or something.

Meanwhile, Ted Cruz — Trump’s only real threat to the nomination if you believe national polling averages — has challenged Trump to a one-on-one debate in Sioux City this weekend that would be facilitated (not moderated, a word which now apparently gives Trump nightmares) by Mark Levin, Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh.

“We owe it to the men and women of Iowa to ensure that they hear jointly and directly from the two leading Republican candidates so that they may contrast our positions on the critical issues we face as a nation as they make their final choice leading up to Monday’s caucuses,” a Cruz statement said.

Trump’s only response has been to take more jabs at totally unfounded claims that Cruz is ineligible to be president because he was born in Canada.

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