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 But the billionaire’s move, days before Iowa holds the first
nominating contest of the 2016 election, is a gamble.
After Trump said he was boycotting the Fox News-sponsored debate
because of his feud with anchor Megyn Kelly, rivals accused him of
being too afraid to face them on stage. While some of Trump’s fans
were supportive of his decision, several undecided voters said they
were unimpressed.
"I was on Trump's doorstep until this whole thing happened. I was
disappointed," said Bryan Moon of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was
attending an event for Republican Marco Rubio. "If this is how he's
going to act, that 'I'm taking my ball and going home,' then that is
just not going to work."
Voter Jill Ruby, another West Des Moines resident at the Rubio
event, was equally put out by Trump's decision. "Are you kidding me,
a reporter ticked him off?" she said. "He’s a coward. I think it
will come back and bite him. That’s not how a president acts, you
don’t just run away.”
 Although Trump leads polls of Iowa Republicans over U.S. Senator Ted
Cruz of Texas, many voters remain undecided and are looking to the
debate to aid their decision-making.
"It gives people a reason to be disappointed in him and take a look
at the other candidates," said Republican strategist Charlie Black.
"It could hurt him with people who might be undecided."
Trump’s rivals view the debate, which begins at 9 p.m. EST (0200
GMT), as a chance to get their own messages across without having to
compete with Trump's bomb-throwing rhetoric.
"It gives us more time at the microphone and more time to talk about
answers to substantive issues that Iowa voters are demanding right
now," said David Kochel, a senior adviser to Republican candidate
Jeb Bush.
On the down side, the number of people who tune in could be lower
without Trump at center stage.
"It is undeniable that what he's doing is denying his opponents a
large audience as they make their final arguments to Iowa voters,"
said Eric Fehrnstrom, a Republican strategist who advised 2012
nominee Mitt Romney.
Trump's decision to stage a benefit event to help U.S. military
veterans instead of participating in the debate was a welcome move
for some supporters.
Pat Wiltfang, 59, of Grinnell, Iowa, said she is pleased Trump
decided to pull out. A lifelong Republican, Wiltfang said she
watched all the previous debates but will gladly skip this one.
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"That's a great move," said Wiltfang, who plans to caucus for Trump.
"All it is is just everyone trying to attack."
While it might be tempting for Trump's rivals to use the debate to
criticize him aggressively, some Republican analysts are cautioning
against a scorched-earth approach.
"It's delicate for the candidates because you have to pull back from
attacking a man who is not there," said Ari Fleischer, who was White
House press secretary for President George W. Bush. "It will be okay
to make a passing reference or two, the fact that he’s not there.
But if you try to beat him up, it won't play well because he's not
there to defend himself."
But on Wednesday, at a separate event in West Des Moines, Cruz
openly mocked Trump for skipping the debate, calling him a "fragile
soul." He renewed his offer to Trump to debate him one-on-one
Saturday evening in Iowa.
"It's not that he's afraid of me," Cruz said to the crowd. "He's
afraid of you. He doesn't want to answer questions from the men and
women of Iowa about how his record doesn't match what he's selling."
No one would be shocked if Trump suddenly decided to participate in
the debate.
“I've got a $20 bet he’ll show up,” Trump rival Jeb Bush said. Why?
"Because it's in his interests," Bush said.
(Additional reporting by Ginger Gibson and James Oliphant in Iowa;
Editing by Caren Bohan and Leslie Adler)
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