Trump: Why I'm Most Qualified to Host Debate

It's the question on everyone's mind: What exactly makes real estate mogul Donald Trump qualified to host a political debate? Well, that's easy: "I know a lot of the moderators and some are wonderful, and some aren't, but I know the issues better than the moderators," Trump explained yesterday on Piers Morgan Tonight. He added, referring to The Apprentice, "I get great ratings," which should convince any candidate to participate. "Frankly, this debate, with the right people in it, would be very, very successful."

He also revealed that he's "disappointed" Mitt Romney joined Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman in deciding to skip the debate. Romney has "been up to see me at Trump Tower and called me, and, you know, we've had numerous calls, wants very much to have my endorsement," Trump said. "I was actually very disappointed that he didn't do the debate. I was actually surprised. He's a good guy, but I was actually surprised that he didn't do the debate." He couldn't resist adding a teensy dig: "If I were down in the polls, I'd want to do every debate I could." Also last night, Trump rejected the idea that he's doing all this for publicity; watch at left. (Click to see a partial list of the moderators Trump says he surpasses.)