WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Trump said on Thursday evening that he had raised more than $6 million in all from wealthy friends and fellow business moguls for veterans.
The rally was organized at only 24 hours-notice, following Trump’s refusal to appear in the latest nationally televised debate of Republican presidential candidates on Fox News because of his feud with anchor Megyn Kelly for allegedly treating him unfairly in a previous debate.
Trump’s rally was timed to exactly coincide with the Republican debate being broadcast on Fox News. Trump had called on his supporters to boycott the debate.
In a sign of Trump’s growing political influence, two of his rivals for the presidential nomination, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, attended the rally. Trump praised them both in his speech.