Donald Trump's campaign manager suggested on Sunday that a debate between his candidate and Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders would have been a "waste of time."
"We're not going to waste our time debating Bernie Sanders when he's not going to be the Democratic nominee," Corey Lewandowski told Fox News' Chris Wallace. "We are squarely focused on defeating Hillary Clinton."
Lewandowski's comments are a far cry from the enthusiasm Trump displayed earlier this week about a potential debate between himself and the Vermont senator.
"I would love to debate Bernie!" he told a crowd Friday afternoon in Fresno, Calif.
But hours later, the Republican nominee released a statement in which he claimed it would be "inappropriate" for him to debate Sanders before the Democrats have held their convention and officially chosen their nominee.
"As much as I want to debate Bernie Sanders — and it would be an easy payday — I will wait to debate the first place finisher in the Democratic Party, probably crooked Hillary Clinton, or whoever it may be," he said in a statement.
