Trump Refuses To Debate With Sanders, The 'Second-Place Finisher' To 'Crooked Clinton'

At first, Republican contestant Donald Trump accepted Bernie Sanders' challenge for a debate. He changed his mind Friday, declaring: "it seems inappropriate that I would debate the second place finisher."

Sanders first applied for a debate to "Jimmy Kimmel Live," in which Trump came as a guest on Wednesday. Initially, Trump agreed, saying: "If I debated him we would have such high ratings. Take that money and give it to some worthy charity."

Taking it as an affirmative, Sanders looked forward to the debate via Twitter.

Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs confirmed Thursday morning that the idea of the debate was not merely empty social media rhetoric. "Of course, we're interested. It was Bernie's suggestion," he said.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, had turned down the idea of debating with Sanders on Fox News, though he had agreed. However, on Friday, Trump, who just 48 hours earlier had declared that the debate with Sanders would raise $10 million for women's charities, suddenly turned around, declaring that it would be "inappropriate" to debate Sanders, who is second behind Clinton in polls and delegates just before the Democratic National Convention.

"Based on the fact that the Democratic nominating process is totally rigged and Crooked Hillary Clinton and Deborah Wasserman Schultz will not allow Bernie Sanders to win, and now that I am the presumptive Republican nominee, it seems inappropriate that I would debate the second place finisher," Trump said.

"Likewise, the networks want to make a killing on these events and are not proving to be too generous to charitable causes, in this case, women's health issues. Therefore, as much as I want to debate Bernie Sanders - and it would be an easy payday - I will wait to debate the first place finisher in the Democratic Party, probably Crooked Hillary Clinton, or whoever it may be."