GOP Debate Reflections from the Morning After

I wasn’t in a place where I could watch last night’s debate live, so I just streamed it this morning. A confession: I’m really not sure at this point that I (or anybody) can really say who “won” a debate, because there are so many different ways for things to be heard and seen. More to the point, I’m skeptical that a debate format with as many as eight candidates on one stage can really ever be won by anyone (although, as we’ve seen in the past, debates can definitely be lost.) It’s especially difficult this year, because the frontrunner skipped the debate. That said, here’s my best assessment:

Donald Trump We will have to wait and see whether voters care that Trump blew them off, and intends to keep doing so. Trump’s absence drained the debate of some much-expected confrontations, but it also meant that he could only score points if somebody carried his water for him by amplifying his attack lines against Ron DeSantis (the only opponent Trump fears) — and only Vivek Ramaswamy tried, and only obliquely. It was not surprising that the candidates moved gingerly around Trump, given his lingering popularity in the party, picking their spots to criticize him (DeSantis talking about bowing to Dr. Fauci, Mike Pence on January 6, Nikki Haley complaining about spending, and Haley and Ramaswamy talking about needing a new generation of leaders), the exceptions being Chris Christie and, in one instance, Asa Hutchinson. But it was disappointing and a missed opportunity for a layup that nobody took a heavy swing at Trump for skipping the debate.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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I wasn’t in a place where I could watch last night’s debate live, so I just streamed it this morning. A confession: I’m really not sure at this point that I (or anybody) can really say who “won” a debate, because there are so many different ways for things to be heard and seen. More to the point, I’m skeptical that a debate format with as many as eight candidates on one stage can really ever be won by anyone (although, as we’ve seen in the past, debates can definitely be lost.) It’s especially difficult this year, because the frontrunner skipped the debate. That said, here’s my best assessment:

Donald Trump We will have to wait and see whether voters care that Trump blew them off, and intends to keep doing so. Trump’s absence drained the debate of some much-expected confrontations, but it also meant that he could only score points if somebody carried his water for him by amplifying his attack lines against Ron DeSantis (the only opponent Trump fears) — and only Vivek Ramaswamy tried, and only obliquely. It was not surprising that the candidates moved gingerly around Trump, given his lingering popularity in the party, picking their spots to criticize him (DeSantis talking about bowing to Dr. Fauci, Mike Pence on January 6, Nikki Haley complaining about spending, and Haley and Ramaswamy talking about needing a new generation of leaders), the exceptions being Chris Christie and, in one instance, Asa Hutchinson. But it was disappointing and a missed opportunity for a layup that nobody took a heavy swing at Trump for skipping the debate.