The Republican debate was an embarrassing one, a product merely of chaos and hate. Furthermore, without the presence of the party's clear leader in the polls, the entire event can only be deemed pointless. With another primary debate scheduled for November in Miami, the right's painful march toward an election over a year away is set to drag on despite a lack of enthusiasm for anything Republicans have to offer.
While the debate displayed a talented crop of candidates, only one can be a viable Trump opponent, which is why the GOP must stand behind a singular candidate. In all likeliness, the party must pick between Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis, and move away from the sideshow of multiple inevitably unsuccessful candidates taking shots at each other and toward the meaningful policy discussion the GOP has to offer.
While candidates for the best loser within the Republican Party attempted to criticize Trump's absence, the content of the debate itself merely proved why such a decision by the former president was wise. There will be no notable change in polling as a consequence of any candidate's performance, and there continues to be no need for Trump to show up to events promoting politicians that the American people don't take seriously.