--- title: Republican Debate: RNC Nixes NBC Debate After CNBC Outrage description: Cites 'gotcha, petty' questions canonical: https://time.com/4094681/republican-debate-cnbc-rnc/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-30T17:44:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T23:35:35.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Republican Party Backs Out of NBC Debate Amid Outrage With CNBC og:description: Cites 'gotcha, petty' questions og:url: https://time.com/4094681/republican-debate-cnbc-rnc/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt31da705ff3157004/69886ef48e0601f27b463190/republican-debate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4590 og:image:height: 2582 og:image:alt: Republican Presidential Debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Republican Party Backs Out of NBC Debate Amid Outrage With CNBC twitter:description: Cites 'gotcha, petty' questions twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt31da705ff3157004/69886ef48e0601f27b463190/republican-debate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Republican Party Backs Out of NBC Debate Amid Outrage With CNBC > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=86666dab-8768-430a-abcd-6799ab09563f&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8UytvMpk.m3u8) (3:46)  _Published 2015-10-29. Watch The CNBC GOP Debate in Less Than 4 Minutes_ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Dec 13, 2023 11:35 PM UTCPublished: Oct 30, 2015 5:44 PM UTC by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Dec 13, 2023 11:35 PM UTCPublished: Oct 30, 2015 5:44 PM UTC The Republican National Committee on Friday [suspended its partnership with NBC News](https://gop.com/nbc-letter/) for a planned February presidential primary debate, two days after aggressive questioning by moderators during a CNBC debate left [campaigns](http://time.com/4091905/republican-debate-ted-cruz-media-cnbc/) and [party officials fuming](http://time.com/4092090/republican-debate-news-media/). Republican candidates and campaigns have been up in arms over the contentious tone and what they called “gotcha” questions at what was billed as an economic-focused debate. In a letter to NBC Chairman Andrew Lack, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said he was suspending their partnership for the debate, scheduled to be held at the University of Houston on Feb. 26, pending further discussion with the network and the Republican presidential campaigns. “The CNBC network is one of your media properties, and its handling of the debate was conducted in bad faith,” Priebus wrote. “We understand that NBC does not exercise full editorial control over CNBC’s journalistic approach. However, the network is an arm of your organization, and we need to ensure there is not a repeat performance.” During Wednesday’s debate, moderators aggressively pressed the candidates on their economic plans. They also asked Donald Trump if he is a “comic book version” of a presidential candidate, and at one point [they were booed](http://time.com/4091975/republican-debate-cnbc-moderators-boo-video/) when they asked Ben Carson about his ties to a supplements company. “While debates are meant to include tough questions and contrast candidates’ visions and policies for the future of America, CNBC’s moderators engaged in a series of ‘gotcha’ questions, petty and mean-spirited in tone, and designed to embarrass our candidates,” Priebus said. Priebus’ move is a face-saving gesture in the wake of criticism from candidates, many of whom have expressed their displeasure with the way the debates have been conducted. It comes as Republican campaigns plan to gather in Washington on Sunday evening to discuss how they can reform the debates without the RNC’s help. Organized by the Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Bobby Jindal, and Lindsey Graham campaigns, the meeting is set to focus on both the format and qualifications for the debate, with the candidates hoping that by teaming up together, they can exercise leverage over the networks and the national party. Earlier this month, Trump and Carson successfully forced CNBC to make the main stage debate a two-hour affair, rather than the planned three, when they threatened to boycott the event. Aides to multiple candidates said they were not informed of the RNC letter before it was distributed to the press. On Thursday, the party told campaigns it would no longer hold group debate briefing calls, which had become contentious in recent weeks and frequently leaked to the media. Instead, campaigns will be briefed in one-on-one conversations. In a statement, NBC called the Priebus letter “a disappointing development.” “However, along with our debate broadcast partners at Telemundo we will work in good faith to resolve this matter with the Republican Party,” the network said. In 2014, the RNC formally took control of the debate process, sanctioning up to 12 contests for the 2016 primary season, in response to candidate feedback and the party’s 2012 autopsy, which argued that too many debates were distracting and weakened eventual-nominee Mitt Romney. The party chose the debate hosts, banishing MSNBC and Bloomberg because of perceived bias, told other networks they wouldn’t get debates if particular journalists anchored, and encouraged all of the networks to include conservative questioners. But the party allowed the television networks to maintain control over the format and qualifications for the debate—both of which have become flash points in the 14-candidate GOP field. The record number of candidates is at the root of the party’s debate troubles—resulting in the controversial “happy hour” and “main-stage” split debates, and forcing moderators to balance hearing from all the candidates with covering multiple topics and keeping the debate interesting. To be sure, some of the criticism of the debates has also stemmed from candidates who are uncomfortable with any scrutiny. Trump has criticized each debate moderator over the tone and substance of questions, and party officials fear he is trying to rewrite the debate rules himself. Steve Duprey, the New Hampshire Republican National Committeeman and the chairman of the RNC’s debates committee, told TIME that there was little the RNC could do. “The RNC hasn’t been shy about expressing its view about people who shouldn’t be asking questions and about making other suggestions,” he said. “Ultimately though, because we don’t have an FCC license and can’t deliver a national audience, we have to partner with the media.” Duprey said that in his view, the networks will “self-correct” after the CNBC debate. “The best thing is that the \[networks\] are all such fierce competitors,” he said. “No one wants to be criticized like CNBC has been. Everyone wants to put on a good show, so I think just the natural competition between the networks will make sure that it gets better.” It’s not the first time the RNC has clashed with NBC News properties. In 2013, Priebus threatened to boycott the network, as well as CNN, over planned programming deemed overly fawning of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Priebus did not lay out the conditions for potentially reinstating NBC, and said the Feb 26\. debate would take place with or without the network, which is partnering with _National Review_ for the night. ## Transcript Live from the University of Colorado in Boulder, the Republican Presidential Debate. [ APPLAUSE ] My great concern is that we are on the verge, perhaps, of picking someone who cannot do this job. What is your biggest weakness and what are you doing to address it? Well, John, I don't really have any weaknesses that I can think of. [ LAUGH ] I trust people too much. Not really seeing myself in that position until hundreds of thousands of people began to tell me that I needed to do it. Well gee, after the last debate I was told that I didn't smile enough. [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] But I'm not worried about my finances, I'm worried about the finances of everyday Americans. [ INAUDIBLE ] who today are struggling in an economy that is producing good paying jobs, while everything else costs more. Whose fault is it that Medicare's broke and out of money, that Social Security broke and out of money, and I say look, it's not Republicans' fault, it's not Democrats' fault, it's your grandparents' fault for having too many damn kids. Tell me what's different between the government and Bernie [ INAUDIBLE ] who sits in prison today for doing less than what the government has done to the people on social security and medicare in this country. Let's tell people the truth. For once let's do that and stop trying to give them some kind of fantasy that's never going to come true. When you signed up for this, this was a six year term. And you should be showing up to work. I mean literally, the Senate, what is it, like a French work week? You get like three days where you have to show up? I don't remember you ever complaining about John McCain's vote record. The only reason why you're doing it now is because we're running for the same position, and someone has convinced you that attacking me is gonna help you. Here's the bottom line. [ APPLAUSE ] My campaign- Would you feel more comfortable if your employees brought guns to work? Yes, I might feel more comfortable. I would say that I would, and I have a permit which is very unusual in New York, a permit to carry. And I do carry on occasion, sometimes a lot. But I like to be unpredictable, so people don't know exactly what you carry. [ LAUGH ] I love Donald Trump. Is a good man I'm wearing a Trump tie tonight. Get over that one. Okay? Wait a sec. Al. We're clearly not having that beer you mentioned. [ LAUGH ] But I'll give you thirty more seconds. But I'll buy you a tequila. Okay, alright. Or even some famous Colorado brownies. I'll give you thirty seconds to respond. Whoa. If somebody put me on their homepage, they did it without my permission. Does that not speak to your vetting process or judgment in any way? It speaks to the fact that I don't know that it's going on. We have 19 trillion dollars in debt, we have people out of work, we have ISIS and Al Qaeda attacking us, and we're talking about fantasy football? Can we stop? [ APPLAUSE ] I'm the only one on this stage that has a plan that would create jobs, cut taxes, balance the budget, and could get it done because I'm realistic. You just don't make promises like this. Why don't we just give a chicken in every pot? You find a Democrat that's for cutting taxes, cutting spending $ 10? I'll give him a warm kiss. I do not want to walk my five grandkids through the charred remains of the once great country called America and say here you go, $ 20 trillion worth of debt, good luck making something out of this mess. I want a government so small I can barely see it. I want a government so small that the individual has a chance to drive and prosper. I may not be your dream candidate just yet but I can assure you I am Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare and in your heart of hearts you cannot wait to see a debate between Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina. I will tell you this. 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