Trump: If CNN Wants Me to Debate, It Should Donate $10 Million to Charity

Time magazine went deep on Donald Trump for its August cover story. The aptly headlined article ("The Donald Has Landed: Deal With It") spends most of its running length exploring Trump's, uh, unconventional, approach to campaigning and pinning down his stance on various policy issues, and there are some surprises—for one, Trump actually supports Planned Parenthood, defending its merits as a health care provider.

But the juiciest, Trump-iest quote—and that's saying a lot, given the man's propensity for juicy quotes—is buried near the bottom of the article, where Trump addresses the upcoming Republican debate hosted by CNN. Via Time:

“Here’s my question: So if I go to CNN and I say, 'Look, you’re going to have a massive audience,' and if I say to them, 'I want $10 million for charity, nothing for myself,' what happens? I’m not showing up, right?” he says. It’s a rhetorical question, the wheels of entrepreneurship are turning, the joy of being Trump dancing on his face. “I’m not showing up unless you give $10 million to cancer, to this, to that. You pick 10 great charities, $1 million per.” He’s not sure just how far the rules of democracy can bend, how big his ambitions can grow. “If I’m in it, they’ll get this crazy audience, and they’re going to make a fortune since they’re selling commercials every time we take a break. Would you ever say to them, would you ever say, I want $10 million for AIDS research, for cancer, for this type or not, or is it too cute?”

Would CNN (or any network) agree to that kind of scenario? Who knows (but we're betting not). And Time leaves it wide open, the writer opting for a "no comment" to Trump's last question. But it's an interesting idea—this kind of strong-arm, take-no-prisoners philanthropy—and one that is quintessentially Trump.