However, Trump’s decision to appear in an online video, rather than a nationally televised debate, reflects the changing role of cable news in presidential campaigns, as the media has handed over some of its watchdog powers to more niche outlets targeting zealots. Fans, not swing voters.
Eight years ago, Fox News drew a record 24 million viewers to the first debate of the 2016 Republican primary. Americans tuned in to stare at the then-fresh Mr. Trump, who dominated the evening with tasteless attacks on Rosie O’Donnell and a fiery clash with Mrs. Mediator Megyn Kelly, who tried to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his misogynistic behaviour.
At the time, smearing Mr. Trump and his aggressive presence was an anomaly in the relatively civilian arena of presidential debates. On Wednesday, his legacy could be seen in the criticism of candidates such as Mr Christie, who compared Mr Ramaswamy to a human version of ChatGPT. (The only audible expletive came from an out-of-color lyric in “Rich Men North of Richmond,” the ballad and conservative anthem broadcast by Fox News prior to the first question that night.)
Privately, Fox News management downplayed Trump’s absence on Wednesday night, though the network’s CEO, Susan Scott, visited Trump at his club in New Jersey this month to try to persuade him to attend. On Wednesday, Fox executives won some praise for posing a series of fundamental questions on topics ranging from abortion rights to climate change to former Vice President Mike Pence’s refusal to endorse Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
This wasn’t the first time Mr. Trump snubbed a major Fox event. In January 2016, on the eve of the crucial Iowa caucuses, Mr. Trump dropped out of a gridiron debate because Ms. Kelly was scheduled to be one of the moderators. “Let’s see how much money Fox will make debate without me,” he quipped at the time.
And Mr. Trump continued to lose caucuses by narrow margins. He appeared in Fox’s next primary debate in March and, after winning the nomination, was embraced by the network’s prime-time commentators, proving that media stars and star politicians share at least one key trait: adaptability.