The eight candidates faced off, with political novice Vivek Ramaswamy, 38, grabbing the limelight and claiming: "I'm the only person on the stage who isn't bought and paid for."
Mr Trump, who is dominating the Republican field for next year's election, skipped last night's debate, instead broadcasting a rambling interview before he turns himself in to Fulton County police to face charges of electoral fraud related to his refusal to accept defeat by Joe Biden in 2020.
Asked by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson why he was boycotting the event, Mr Trump, 77, noted his strong poll lead over Florida governor Ron DeSantis, tech entrepreneur Mr Ramaswamy and others.
In the interview, which by this morning had garnered 120 million views on the X platform (formerly Twitter), he said: "I'm saying do I sit there for an hour or two hours or whatever it's going to be and get harassed by people who shouldn't even be running for president?"
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