Leading Republican contender Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would not attend the next GOP debate hosted by Fox News in Iowa, according to campaign sources quoted by reporters.

New York Times reporter Nick Corasaniti tweeted a quote from the businessman's campaign manager Cory Lewandowski Tuesday afternoon following a press conference in Marshalltown, Iowa.

The news follows speculation that the candidate would not attend the Iowa debate after a spat with the network and one of its hosts, Megyn Kelly, at a previous debate. At a Fox debate in August, Kelly called Trump out for his comments about women, which included calling them "fat pigs," "disgusting animals," and "dogs." The two have traded barbs ever since.

"Let's see how much money Fox is going to make on the debate without me," the candidate said at a press conference, the Times reported. "It's time that somebody plays grownup."

Trump previously had hinted that he would skip the debate, even posting a crowd-sourced poll on his official Twitter account. The frontrunner accused the network of "playing games" and lampooned them for including Megyn Kelly as a moderator — whom he has routinely criticized over the past few months.

The debate, slated to take place next Thursday, will be the last before caucus-goers in Iowa turn out to vote.