Trump, Carson demand that next debate be limited to 2 hours

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson are threatening to boycott the next GOP debate over its proposed format, underscoring a rare political alliance between the leading outsider candidates.

In a joint letter to CNBC's Washington bureau chief today, the billionaire businessman and retired neurosurgeon told the hosting network they will not appear at the Oct. 28 debate unless it's capped at two hours with commercials and the candidates are allowed to speak directly to the camera at its opening and close.

Ed Brookover, a senior Carson campaign strategist, said the campaigns were caught off-guard when CNBC sent them an email Wednesday outlining debate rules that the candidates had not agreed to. The agenda included two hours of debate time plus four commercial breaks and no opening or closing statements.

"We thought that the only way to make sure that candidates are heard early and late was not to rely on the moderators," he said, referring to the push for opening and closing statements.

The letter came after a heated call between the campaigns and the Republican National Committee over the debate's format.

Neither Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski nor Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks immediately responded to requests for comment. But Trump took to Twitter on today to express his anger.