No one on the Wednesday night stage will inch toward Trump or dispatch any competitor with some obviously pre-planned zinger.
At some point during the Republican 2024 primaries, there will be only two candidates remaining. One of them will be named Donald Trump, and the other will not. On Wednesday night, the second GOP debate may provide insights as to who might be that last Donald Trump alternative left standing.
For months, it appeared the role of Trump’s prime rival would occupied by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, around whom there was much buzz and anticipation, until his actual campaign launched. The months since have been filled with repetitive and damaging stories, forcing observers to ask why he is not yet closing on the dominant frontrunner.
There has been no glaring flaw in the DeSantis campaign. His appearances remain crisp, his Florida record remains enviable. DeSantis’ problem is that we have just been through the Summer of Trump—his legal battles, his always provocative social media outbursts, and his massive impenetrable lead.
No one was ever going to catch Trump in this calendar year. Some of his support is from voters who may or may not favor him to the exclusion of the rest of the field, but surely want to deliver a message of disapproval amid malicious political arraignments. They may peel off as the early primaries approach, shifting their focus from protest gestures to serious consideration of the only question that matters: who should be the Republican nominee?
Trump can settle that question without siphoning significant support from any of his rivals.
