Donald Trump has been mocked by his Republican rivals at a televised debate in Iowa, after quitting the event in a row with Fox News.
He decided to withdraw after the broadcaster refused to drop host Megyn Kelly, whom Mr Trump accused of bias.
The billionaire held a rally nearby, in honour of war veterans, that threatened to overshadow the debate itself.
On Monday, voters in Iowa are due to pick their presidential nominee for each party.
Days ahead of that critical test, Mr Trump's absence on the stage in Des Moines was keenly felt by his seven rivals in the race to be Republican presidential nominee.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz addressed it with humour in the opening minutes by throwing mock insults at his rivals.
"I'm a maniac and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly, and Ben [Carson], you're a terrible surgeon," he said.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush also poked fun at the billionaire businessman, who has often tormented Mr Bush in previous debates.
"I kind of miss Donald Trump; he was a teddy bear to me," he said with smile.
Elsewhere in Des Moines at the same time, Mr Trump led a raucous rally in honour of the country's war veterans.
"When you're treated badly, you have to stick up for your rights," he said, referring to his row with Fox.
In the end they came to praise Donald Trump and not to bury him. Ted Cruz gave the billionaire frontrunner a mild jab at the beginning of his opening statement, but then he added that he was glad Mr Trump was running. Marco Rubio said he was an "entertaining guy".
After that, Mr Trump was largely ignored, with the candidates sticking to their talking points. The only bit of real drama came when Senators Rubio and Cruz were confronted with video clips of their past conflicting statements on immigration reform.
It gave former Florida Governor Jeb Bush a chance to point out that he, unlike Mr Rubio, is standing by his commitment to immigration reform.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also found a winning line, when he noted that he needed a "Washington-to-English dictionary" to understand the two senators.
Christie and Bush likely posted the best performance of the debate, but it's hard to see how Mr Trump - who was made it through the night largely unscathed - didn't also come out on top.
The broadcaster released a statement that said Mr Trump offered to appear at the debate if Fox contributed $5m to his charities, but they refused.
Data released by Google after the debate suggested that search interest in Mr Trump still far surpassed the other candidates.
Many observers on social media thought the event was duller without the brash New Yorker.
The Iowa caucuses on Monday are seen as the first real test of the election campaign, and the beginning of a series of state-by-state contests to chose delegates for both Republicans and Democrats.
Unlike a primary, which is a traditional election featuring secret ballots on polling day, the caucuses in Iowa is a meeting of registered party voters and activists where they discuss the candidates and then vote.
Follow The Forefront on facebook Global audience / facebook Nigerian audience /The Blogger's facebook personal account and facebook (fan page)/ & twitter
Instagram: osagiejoshua
BBM Channel: C002CB006
 |
| ADVERTISE WITH THE FOREFRONT: +234-803-698-6103. For more details CLICK HERE NOW Share the Forefront's posts on social media with options below. Thank you! |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Disclaimer!!! Opinions expressed in comments do not represent THE FOREFRONT MEDIA NG's views. All participants are entitled to their opinions. Thank you!!!
Advertise on the Forefront: For advert placement in the blog or advert posts like news updates, reach +2348124620827 [WhatsApp].
Copyright 2023 The Forefront Media Ng. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from The Forefront Media Ng