Fox News has accused Donald Trump of “terrorizing” the network after the increasingly dominant Republican frontrunner pulled out of the last televised debate just four days before voting begins in US presidential primary elections.  In a feud that reveals a rift in conservative politics and the growing aversion to criticism of its leading presidential candidate, Trump has gambled that his lead is now so strong among voters that he can afford to duck out of the final public showdown with rivals and avoid what he claims is biased questioning by Fox.  Related: Help! I’m being seduced by Donald Trump | Tim Dowling  On Wednesday night, the New York property tycoon and reality TV star confirmed that he would be staging his own event at Drake University, two miles away from the venue for the televised debate in Des Moines. His campaign announced that the “Donald J Trump Special Event to Benefit Veterans Organizations” would go head to head with the debate at exactly the same moment, 8pm local time.  Ted Cruz, the maverick rightwing senator who appears to stand the only chance of catching Trump in the early voting primary states, has launched a petition calling for a one-on-one debate instead, with an opponent he calls “Ducking Donald”. At a rally for supporters on Wednesday, the Texas conservative joked that Trump was “a fragile soul [whose] hair might stand” if hit with tough questions.  Fox News is also standing by its journalist Megyn Kelly, who is still due to host Thursday’s event in Des Moines and initially angered Trump by accusing him of misogyny during the first debate in August.  “You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” Kelly challenged in the memorable exchange. “Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president? And how do you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton – that you are part of the war on women?”  “[Kelly] had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever,” responded Trump afterwards in an attack that was seen as suggesting she was menstruating and served as a foretaste of a slew of personal attacks on racial minorities, disabled people and opponents.  Fox claims Trump campaign staff had threatened a similar “rough couple of days” for Kelly if she hosted this coming event.  “We can’t give in to terrorizations of any of our employees,” said a company spokesman. “Capitulating to politicians’ ultimatums about a debate moderator violates all journalistic standards, as do threats including the one leveled by Trump’s campaign manager ... toward Megyn Kelly.”  The station, controlled by Rupert Murdoch, is often accused of pushing American politics to the right but now appears to be siding with its establishment wing, even though ratings have soared as result of Trump’s bombastic antics in the 2016 election race.  Trump continues to hit out at both the network and its well-regarded debate host – claiming the former is only interested in making money out of his appearances and accusing Kelly of being a “lightweight reporter”.  I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct. Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!  But Kelly has attracted widespread praise from both ends of the political spectrum for being one of the few journalists to tackle Trump’s reputation for bullying opponents and blaming minorities for America’s problems.  For any other candidate, the clash with both the Republican party, its most powerful media outlet and a refusal to debate his opponents just days before the first election could prove fatal.  Yet Trump has benefitted throughout the race by drawing attention to what his critics have claimed are increasingly outrageous antics and attacks on all media outlets for failing to understand the anti-establishment wave pushing him ahead in polling.  “Let’s see how much money Fox is going to make on the debate without me, OK?” Trump said at news conference after pulling out the debate.  Campaign staff say he “knows when to walk away”, adding in a statement: “[Fox chairman] Roger Ailes and Fox News think they can toy with him, but Mr. Trump doesn’t play games.”  The showdown highlights the bitter personal rivalry between Trump and Ailes, who for many years has appeared to be the party’s kingmaker.  Murdoch, who controls Fox News’s parent company, is also said to have taken a growing interest in its editorial coverage of the election in recent months, and like many US business leaders appears alarmed by the anti-establishment tone of the Republican race.  Murdoch tweeted on Wednesday in response to news that former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg was considering entering the race as an independent:  This is Bloomberg's last chance. You never know until your hat is in the ring! Events change everything, especially during elections.  Nevertheless, Murdoch also shares the growing belief among leading Republicans that Trump’s lead is now unassailable and that he stands a better chance of beating Hillary Clinton were she to win the Democratic nomination. He wrote earlier this month:  Cruz bets uniting white conservatives/evangelicals enough, Meanwhile Trump appealing across party lines. Surely the winning strategy.
Channel, which says Trump campaign threatened ‘rough days’ for Megyn Kelly if she hosted event, rejected ‘capitulating to politicians’ ultimatums’