Trump rips GOP manifesto as National Review cut from debate

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump tore into the National Review on Thursday night for publishing an issue dedicated to attacking him, and the Republican National Committee (RNC) cut the magazine as a primary debate host.

The RNC announced it had disinvited the National Review from co-hosting the Feb. 25 debate after its latest issue — called “Against Trump” — featured essays criticizing the real estate mogul from leading conservatives including Glenn Beck, Erick Erickson and Russell Moore.

Trump, meanwhile, took to Twitter to slam the publication:

National Review is a failing publication that has lost it’s way. It’s circulation is way down w its influence being at an all time low. Sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2016

Very few people read the National Review because it only knows how to criticize, but not how to lead.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2016

{mosads}“A debate moderator can’t have a predisposition,” RNC spokesman Sean Spicer said.

National Review publisher Jack Fowler told BuzzFeed News he could see how the issue might have “crossed a line” for a debate participant, but he insisted their moderator would have been fair.

“We expected this was coming. Small price to pay for speaking the truth about The Donald,” he said.

Trump has faced accusations both of being too extreme, alienating centrist voters and of being a false conservative with a long history of liberal views.

The National Review’s attack issue is perhaps the most visible example of conservatives struggling to take down the billionaire, who holds a prohibitive lead in national polling, as well as in the first primary state of New Hampshire.

The late, great, William F. Buckley would be ashamed of what had happened to his prize, the dying National Review!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2016