REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
Donald Trump said Friday that he was done with the Republican primary debates.
The morning after the 12th Republican presidential debate, Trump said he had had enough.
"I think we've had enough debates," Trump said at a news conference in which he received the endorsement of his former presidential rival Ben Carson. "I mean, how many times do you have to give the same answer to the same question?"
The GOP frontrunner was responding to a question about a planned March 21 debate and whether his suggestion was that "we've had enough."
Trump lamented last month that the debates had become predictable, and he wondered out loud why he was continuing to do them.
Trump had nothing but praise on Friday for what he called a "very elegant debate last night," but he signaled that he wasn't inclined to do any more such events:
I think it will be nice to finish off with this one. I thought CNN did a fantastic job last night. I thought that Jake [Tapper] was a great moderator. It was just a really nice way to finish off the debate season. But I really think it's enough debates. I don't think there's any reason for the debates.
"I know they're getting very big ratings," he said.
"I think we've had enough," he added. "Look, the networks want them. I don't think any of the candidates want them, at this point."
Trump is hoping to essentially lock up the Republican nomination next week with wins in Ohio and Florida.
If he wins both winner-take-all states, it would be difficult for his primary rivals to stop him from securing enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination. If he loses both, the primary would most likely continue to remain competitive for at least another batch of contests.
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