Ben Carson Campaign: Donald Trump Right, CNBC Wanted Longer Debate

BOULDER, Colorado — GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson’s spokesperson Deana Bass told Breitbart News that fellow GOP candidate Donald Trump was right – CNBC planned to have a much longer debate until Trump and Carson negotiated it down to two hours, despite CNBC’s John Harwood arguing the debate was always going to be only two hours.

“It was going to be much longer,” Bass told Breitbart News after the GOP debate in the media spin room, affirming Trump’s statement in his closing remark.

In Trump’s closing statement at CNBC’s “Your Money, Your Vote: The Republican Presidential Debate,” he said, “We don’t win,” referring to America’s stature on the world stage.

Let me give you one quick example, these folks – CNBC – they had it down to three, three and half hours… I went out and said it’s ridiculous nobody – I could stand up here all night – nobody wants to watch three and a half or three hours. It was a big sacrifice and I have to hand it to Ben. We called Ben. He was with me 100 percent. We called in, we said that’s it – we’re not doing it. They lost a lot of money. Everybody said it couldn’t be done. Everybody said it was going to be three hours, three and a half – including them – and in about two minutes, I renegotiated it down to two hours, so we can get the hell out of here…and I’ll do that with the country. We will make America great again.

But Harwood challenged Trump arguing, “Just for the record, the debate was always going to be two hours.”

Trump fired back, “That’s not right. That is absolutely not right, you know that – that is not right.”

The Trump-Carson alliance continued after the debate, when Trump appeared on CNN and was asked about Carson. Trump said, “I have a lot of respect for him, I like him.”