Has the old-school debate format been broken? In the past, debate stages were crowded, debates were relatively few, and nobody really dared opt out of them—even during primary season. Now, it's all just chaos.
Last night, in the fifth primary debate of this election cycle, hosted by CNN, viewers gleaned almost nothing. The stage was only populated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who still mostly ignored the elephant in the room: that both are them are currently being left in the dust by the true frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, who has declined to participate in debates thus far.
