The mainstream media, as exemplified by the The Washington Post, is reporting that “Trump says he won’t participate in GOP debate on Fox News.”

The charismatic Donald Trump has a lot of rationalizations for this flinch.

“Why should the networks continue to get rich on the debates?” Trump told reporters at a news conference in Marshalltown. “Why do I have to make Fox rich?”

That said, it is far more likely that Donald Trump is pulling a classic front runner “duck and cover” drill. What might Trump fear?

Trump, shrewdly, may feel vulnerable on his fragile “I will make America rich” rhetoric. Might be a glass jaw for a right hook by his chief rival Ted Cruz.

The Tax Foundation says that all Cruz’s rivals tax plans, but not Cruz’s, will add trillions to the national debt. Mr. Trump’s — the worst — scored to add $10 trillion to the national debt.

Yowza! That’s ten million million dollars of new debt!

Tea Party Patriots? Hello?

Meanwhile, Cruz’s flat tax was scored as almost deficit neutral. And Mr. Trump’s tax “reform” is tilted toward the wealthy and corporations! (If only corporations could vote, Trump would be in a shoo-in!) Cruz’s plan actually cuts taxes for working people . . . and across the board.

Cruz’s 10 percent flat tax, plus business transfer tax, would give everyone, workers and investors, a solid tax cut. Cruz provides a 10 percent tax rate with ample deductions for working families. Cruz’s plan also gets the IRS out of our hair! Not Trump’s.

Cruz’s flat tax also would give a terrific advantage to American exporters, including farmers in Iowa, without dangerous tariffs. Not Trump’s.

Little wonder Trump may feel nervous!

Trump. Bad policy. Bad politics.

Cruz calls for the gold standard, a monetary regime that allowed, and again would allow, workers and median families to flourish.

Trump instead has called for a interest rate increase, which, in the next breath, he calls as a recipe for a “recession-slash-depression.” 

Trump. Bad policy. Bad politics.

And Trump’s call for massive tariffs would hit Iowa farmers first.

Trump. Bad policy. Bad politics.

Notwithstanding his flimsy rationalization on skipping the last pre-Iowa debate, Donald Trump appears to be playing it safe by flinching from confronting a potential haymaker from Sen. Ted Cruz. No profile in courage here.

Will Trump show up for this crucial Fox debate to defend his proposals for economic prosperity for working people?  Or will Trump “duck and cover.”

If Trump flinches . . . what’s he hiding?

And what will the Iowa voters make of it?

Ralph Benko, internationally published weekly columnist, co-author of The 21st Century Gold Standard, lead co-editor of the Gerald Malsbary translation from Latin to English of Copernicus’s Essay on Money, is American Principles Project’s Senior Advisor, Economics.