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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
David Smith in Washington

Jaws without the shark: absent Trump looms over Republicans’ first debate

The Republican presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa in January 2016, an event that Donald Trump also skipped. Chris Christie, second left, will also appear in Milwaukee.
The Republican presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa, in January 2016, an event that Donald Trump also skipped. Chris Christie, second left, will also appear in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

It may end up being Hamlet without the prince or, perhaps more aptly, Jaws without the shark.

When Republicans gather in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday for the first debate of the presidential primary season, a milestone in any election campaign cycle, the clear frontrunner in the opinion polls will be missing.

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