CNBC Bows To Call For Shorter GOP Debate
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The next Republican president debate will be a bit shorter thanks to the demands of front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson.
Both had threatened to boycott CNBC's October 28th primary debate if it were not capped at two hours including commercial breaks.
Friday morning, Trump sent out a tweet that said the network had agreed to their terms.
.@CNBC has just agreed that the debate will be TWO HOURS. Fantastic news for all, especially the millions of people who will be watching!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2015
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CNBC originally planned for a two-hour debate plus up to 16 minutes of commercials. The White House hopefuls were informed of the debate plans in a conference call with CNBC and Republican National Committee officials.
On Thursday, Carson and Trump sent the network a letter demanding the 120 minute time limit, as well as the ability to make opening and closing statements, or else they would be no shows.
After several campaigns complained about the format, CNBC suggested Thursday that it would be open to modifying the debate constraints. The network has not yet announced any changes to the debate format.
