Was Trump-less debate a win or a loss for Fox?

He was, quite literally, right down the road, hosting his own event.

So was the Trump-less Fox News debate a ratings disaster or a ratings win for Fox? In a somewhat drastic overstatement, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, had said the ratings number for the Fox News debate, without Mr. Trump, would drop to “one to two million people”. He claimed she asked him an unfair question in a debate in August. Though absent from the stage on Thursday, Trump’s aggressive rhetoric has set him apart on immigration. Nevadans who watched the debate said regardless of the real estate mogul’s decision to not attend, the forum still ended up being a robust discussion. “That’s why as commander in chief, I will take on ISIS, not only because it keeps us safe, but because it allows us to absolutely conduct our religious affairs the way we find in our heart and in our souls”. The debate got off to a rough start with Cruz.

Cruz later returned to theme after a testy back and forth with Wallace, saying in what appeared to be a joking manner, “If you guys ask one more mean question, I might have to leave the stage”.

Christie is part of a crowded field of more mainstream candidates who have struggled to break through in an election year where Trump, and increasingly Cruz, have tapped into voter anger with the political system. Those networks aired segments of a Donald Trump rally, which was scheduled after the GOP contender withdrew from the Fox News debate.

GOP contender Ted Cruz and Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders have both made strong final pushes in Iowa, and look to use their multiple Sunday show appearances to overtake their party front-runners.

Rubio has placed third in most recent Iowa surveys. The people that do like him are going to still stick with him. “I wish he was here”, Bush said. “The people who don’t like him weren’t going to change their mind”.

And Ramsey said Trump has tapped into that and has been helped along by his take-no-prisoners style.

As Cruz was whining and Jeb Bush was admitting to being “establishment” and Marco Rubio was struggling to defend his record on immigration, Trump, the man they were all trying to catch, stood unscathed on a university campus 10 minutes across town, looking like a principled patriot, basking in the admiration of Iowans. If he’s in the high teens or better, he’ll probably be regarded as having momentum, especially if he slips into second place.

It’s unclear whether Trump’s unusual move will hurt his standing with Iowa voters.

Trump was joined at the event by two of his rivals, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Pennsylvania Sen. They spoke in support of the fundraiser (but not of Trump’s candidacy) from behind a podium with a large “TRUMP” placard. It may not be enough to defeat Trump or Cruz, but there was no contest with his closest competitor, Ben Carson, who was barely a blip on the screen tonight.

He announced that the event had raised almost $6 million (U.S.) in donations to veterans’ charities, $1 million from himself alone.

“The truth is, Ted, throughout this campaign, you’ve been willing to say or do anything in order to get votes”.