Donald Trump on Friday gave Fox News host Bill O'Reilly "a little credit" for saying that he should have participated in last week's debate in Des Moines, following the developer's admission that his absence was critical to his second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses on Monday.
"Can't you give me a little credit that I was right?" O'Reilly asked in an interview on his
"The O'Reilly Factor" show.
"I will give you a little credit but not too much," Trump responded. "I raised $6 million for the veterans. …"
"You could have done that any other day," O'Reilly retorted.
"I don't think so," Trump said.
"You gave Cruz and Rubio a lot more air time," the Fox host said, referring to rivals Ted Cruz, who won the caucuses, and Marco Rubio, who finished only one point behind Trump.
"I gave them more air time, that's true," Trump said. "They had more air time. I agree with that."
He then added, "You know what? The veterans like Trump, so I'm okay with that. I think it's maybe sort of even. The veterans love me."
Trump skipped the Jan. 28 debate, four days before the caucuses, in a tiff with Fox over debate co-moderator Megyn Kelly. He raised the money for veteran's organizations at a rally across town.
O'Reilly
then scolded Trump about the decision on his show, telling the front-runner that skipping the debate was not good for the nation.
After Monday's caucuses, however, the developer
said that "I think it could have been the debate" in sizing up his finish in the Hawkeye State.
Fox co-hosts another GOP debate on March 3 in Detroit.
Trump told Newsmax TV on Friday that he will participate in the contest and that his reason for bypassing last week's debate had nothing to do with Kelly.
"I'll be there," he told "The Steve Malzberg Show" in an interview. "I have no objection to being there."