What's happened
The second Republican presidential primary debate attracted fewer viewers than the first, with former President Donald Trump once again absent.
Why it matters
The declining viewership of the second Republican presidential primary debate, with the absence of former President Donald Trump, indicates waning interest in the race and the significance of Trump's dominance in the polls.
What the papers say
The New York Times highlights the declining viewership as a sign of waning interest in the race without Trump's presence, while the New York Post emphasizes the absence of Trump and the impact on the GOP voters' preference for him as the party's standard bearer.
How we got here
The second Republican presidential primary debate took place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., with Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, and Univision co-hosting and airing the event.
More on these topics
-
Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
-
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with its main, historic rival, the Democratic Party.
-
Dana Marie Perino is an American political commentator and author who served as the twenty-fourth White House Press Secretary, serving under President George W. Bush from September 14, 2007, to January 20, 2009.
-
Ronald "Ron" Dion DeSantis is an American attorney, naval officer, and Republican politician. He has served as the 46th governor of Florida since 2019, and he represented Florida's 6th congressional district in Congress from 2013 to 2018.
-
Michael Richard Pence is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 48th vice president of the United States, since 2017.
-
Vivek Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur in the healthcare and technology sectors, a political commentator, and a New York Times bestselling author. He is the founder and executive chairman of the biopharmaceutical company Roivant Sciences.
-
William Asa Hutchinson II is an American businessman, attorney, and politician, serving as the 46th Governor of Arkansas since 2015. Previously he was U.S. Attorney for the Fort Smith-based Western District of Arkansas, U.S. Congressman from the Third Dis
-
Nimrata "Nikki" Haley is an American politician serving as the 29th and current United States Ambassador to the United Nations since 2017.
-
Fox Business is an American pay television business news channel that is owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The network discusses business and financial news.
-
Univision is a North American Spanish-language free-to-air television network that is owned by Univision Communications. It is the United States' second largest provider of Spanish-language content, followed by its competitor Telemundo.