Donald Trump intensified his feud with Fox News five days before Iowa kicks off the presidential nominations contest, saying he will hold a rogue event Thursday while Republican rivals take part in a nationally televised debate without him, AFP reports.

Real estate mogul Trump, the Republican frontrunner for the White House, is again dominating the airwaves and making his trailing rivals and the party squirm, all while his approval rating has never been higher.

The celebrity billionaire, 69, who has never held elected office, left the Republican Party dumbfounded with his announcement that he will not participate in Thursday's debate in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by Fox News.