Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman won't be puckering up for Donald Trump anytime soon.
Huntsman, along with Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), has declined to take part in a Newsmax debate moderated by Trump later this month. Appearing on NBC Monday, the notorious birther slammed Huntsman as someone who wasn't going to win the nomination anyway.
Later on Monday, Fox News host Martha MacCallum gave the GOP hopeful a chance to respond.
"I'm not going to kiss his ring, and I'm not going to kiss any other part of his anatomy," Huntsman explained. "This is exactly what is wrong with politics. It is show business over substance. If he had any courage at all, he would be running for president of the United States of America as opposed to manipulating the process from the outside."
"The presidency of the United State of America is more important than these silly game shows and reality shows."
An obviously-bitter Trump had also assailed Huntsman in an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd Monday.
"By the way, Mr. Huntsman called my office a number of times trying to set up a meeting," the billionaire claimed. "I didn't have a meeting with him and then he went on the debate and said, 'I didn't meet with Mr. Trump like everybody else in the room.' So, you know, I'm sure he'll tell the truth about that because he's a Mormon."
In a statement to Think Progress, Huntsman spokesman Tim Miller didn't address the religious attack, but did dismiss the meeting claim as something that had been "litigated in the press before."
"You’ll be surprised to find out that it's Mr. Trump who is not telling the truth," Miller said. "We never requested a meeting. We are focused on issues that matter not presidential apprentice."
