Trump Skips Second GOP Debate, Soars in the Polls – The American Spectator

According to the latest Morning Consult survey of 1,183 potential Republican primary voters released on Friday, Sept. 29, support for former President Donald J. Trump increased two days after the second Republican presidential debate last Wednesday. All but one of Trump’s rivals lost ground in this poll, compared to where they placed in the previous Morning Consult study, announced on Monday, Sept. 25.

The good news for Sen. Tim Scott is that his voters stayed firm. The bad news is that he ended last week right where he started: at 2 percent.

Here’s where things stand:

• Former President Donald J. Trump — 58 percent two days before the debate; 63 percent after.
• Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) — 15 percent before; 12 percent after.
• Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy — 11 percent before; 9 percent after.
• Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) — 7 percent before; 5 percent after.
• Former Vice President Mike Pence — 6 percent before; 5 percent after.
• Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — 2 percent before; 2 percent after.

The once buoyant DeSantis — dubbed “America’s Governor” by many who admired his stellar leadership of the Sunshine State — now languishes a staggering 51 points behind the ascendant Trump. DeSantis’ tough, winning reputation has been tarnished badly by a campaign in which his popularity among primary voters has slid since the day he declared. The Talented Mr. DeSantis now looks like damaged goods, today and in 2028. What a shame.

Trump’s other competitors are even further behind DeSantis. Their paths to the nomination are even tougher to envision — or hallucinate. A friend recently observed that these debates serve as little more than live job interviews for Trump’s future Cabinet. My friend joked about North Dakota’s Republican governor: “Doug Burgum is secure as our next secretary of energy.” (READ MORE from Deroy Murdock: MAGAnomics Trumps Bidenomics: Americans Were Better Off Four Years Ago)

Short of a health emergency for Trump, it is impossible to see how anyone catches the 45th president of the United States. Even if a judge in one of Trump’s myriad legal cases tossed him in prison, his grip on the GOP nomination would tighten even further, with his numbers climbing into the 70s or beyond.

This situation reflects the fundamental folly shared by those who want to move on from Trump. Their only shot at him would have been to place their full weight behind one non-Trump candidate. Instead, last week’s GOP debate — hosted by Fox Business Network at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California — found Trump a no-show for the second time.

Rather than one alternative to Trump appealing to primary voters, seven GOP contenders shouted and spoke over each other for two hours. This was less a debate than an interruptathon. The more they kept each other from talking, the more strong, stable, and mature Trump appeared, even in absentia. (READ MORE from Deroy Murdock: Dem Ploys to Deny, Overturn GOP Presidential Wins Revealed in New Trump Ad)

Mysteriously, political commentors have praised the otherwise capable Haley for her debate performances even though she lashed out loudly and shrieked more than she spoke. In the first debate and more so in the second, she abandoned her normally pleasant, thoughtful demeanor and appeared needlessly harsh and abrasive. Thumbs down!

In future debates, when a candidate drones on after the times-up bell rings, every subsequent second should be subtracted from the interval allotted for his next answer. For instance, 40 seconds of talk for a 30-second reply would limit the offending candidate’s next 30-second rebuttal to just 20 seconds. Also, anyone who speaks more than 10 seconds after the bell would have her microphone clicked off. Message: clock or consequences.

Amazing: The more these logorrheic Lilliputians try to tie down Gulliver J. Trump, the more he slips their bonds and strides toward the Republican presidential nomination and barely breaks a sweat.

Deroy Murdock is a Manhattan-based Fox News contributor.