Who else but Donald Trump could boycott a debate featuring seven of his fiercest rivals for the Republican presidential nomination but still be at the center of attention?
The billionaire's decision to withdraw from the final debate before the Iowa caucus because of a feud with host Fox News, and his simultaneous televised fundraiser for wounded soldiers at a packed nearby arena, ensured that he dominated another news cycle before Monday's vote.
His rivals tried to make the most of the no-show, taking advantage of the Trump-less vacuum to mock the front-runner for skipping the event.
Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz opened by calling his fellow contenders “stupid, fat and ugly,” quickly adding “now we’ve got the Donald Trump portion out of the way.” Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio dismissed the billionaire as an “entertaining guy — the greatest show on Earth.” And former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, often the target of Trump’s attacks, sarcastically added that he missed Trump, who was a “teddy bear to me.”
The question that could not be answered Thursday was whether Trump’s retreat from the GOP showdown was a shrewd move to avoid sharpening attacks from Cruz and the rest of the field or a devastating mistake that will backfire on him when Iowa voters caucus in three days.
But each of his rivals all jockeyed for a chance to step out of Trump’s shadow and seize a share of his sizable spotlight.
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