The Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol accused Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump of "unseemly" behavior Wednesday in predicting riots if he were not the eventual nominee and by pulling out of Monday's Fox News debate in Utah.
"All this threatening riots, pulling out of debates, gaming the thing — it's all unseemly," Kristol told
Erin Burnett on CNN, adding later that "he deserves credit for being where he is, but for him to start saying there'll be riots, that's ludicrous, too.
"What about the 62 percent of Republicans who haven't voted for Donald Trump?" he asked.
"Those delegates have a right not to be for Donald Trump."
Regarding the debate that had been set for Salt Lake City, Kristol said that Trump boycotted because "he's scared to debate Ted Cruz on Monday night."
The Texas senator has the best shot of beating Trump in the Beehive State's caucuses on Tuesday, Kristol said, and John Kasich was only staying around because he "wants to be Trump's vice president.
"Kasich is not going to win anything in Utah," Kristol said. "Why doesn't he go and fight in the states he could win in the Northeast? He doesn't seem to want to do that.
"These guys are showing a certain amount of self-destructiveness, which is benefitting Donald Trump."
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