The ratings are in and the second RNC debate was the most watched program Wednesday on cable television, including streaming platforms. Nearly 9.5 million viewers tuned in, according to Nielsen Media Research.

It is good news for Fox Business Channel. The ratings total makes the RNC debate the network’s highest-rated telecast since 2016. The rating outpace 60% of debates in the 2016 and 2020 election cycles. The debate was two hours long and it was held at the Reagan Presidential Library. In the coveted category, the 25-54 age demographic, 1,888,000 tuned in to watch.

Nonetheless, viewership was down 25% from the first RNC debate in August. It aired on Fox News and 12.8 million people watched. Donald Trump skipped both debates. Sources tell the New York Post that Trump will skip the third RNC debate, too. It is scheduled for November 8 in Miami. Trump cites his polling lead as the reason he does not participate in these events.

The decision comes after his rivals lambasted the 77-year-old at the second GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. Wednesday night, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie calling Trump “Donald Duck” and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called him out for “missing in action.”

The former president opted not to attend the debate, and instead rallied in Michigan.

A post-debate survey was conducted by Leger for the New York Post that included 1,303 people. The survey found hat 62% of Republican voters want Trump as the party’s nominee. That is a 2 point increase from the first debate. DeSantis came in second in the survey, a distant second at 10% who want him to be the nominee.

Chris Christie gave Trump a nickname for skipping the debate – he called him Donald Duck for “ducking” out on the debates.

DeSantis is taking it to Trump by calling him a keyboard warrior in his attacks of DeSantis and challenged him to do a one-on-one debate. “You know what, maybe we can say since the former president didn’t come here, maybe he’d be willing to do one with you and I,” DeSantis told Fox News’ Sean Hannity after the second GOP primary debate Wednesday night.

The Trump team is feeling itself.

“These are folks that are nipping at the heels of the frontrunner, they’re nowhere close,” advisor Chris LaCivita said in an interview with CBS News following the debate Wednesday.

“As a matter of fact, if you took the combined polling weight of every single candidate on stage tonight and paired it up against Donald Trump, they’d be losing by 20 points,” he claimed.

“So I mean, these guys aren’t worth our time.”

DeSantis is showing more aggression toward Trump, which he has to do if he is going to make any inroads in the rankings.

DeSantis hammered Trump right out of the gate on his recent comments about Florida’s Heartbeat Bill. In an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press earlier this month, Trump stated that DeSantis’ signing of a 6-week heartbeat bill into law was a “terrible mistake.

“I reject this idea that pro-lifers are to blame for midterm defeats,” said DeSantis. “I think there are other reasons for that. The former president is missing in action tonight. He has had a lot to say about that. He should be here explaining his comments to try to say pro-life protections are somehow a terrible thing.”

DeSantis shouldn’t expect Trump to take him up on his challenge to debate one-on-one. He slammed Trump for trashing him online and dared Trump to say it to his face. “It’s one thing to do it behind a keyboard, step on stage and do it to my face. I’m ready for it.”

Trump has had a lot to say about me on social media. It’s one thing to do it behind a keyboard.

Step up on stage and say it to my face. pic.twitter.com/olp0SyGCaD

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) September 28, 2023

Ted Cruz weighed in and declared DeSantis the winner of the debate.

"Ron DeSantis won" the debate, says @tedcruz.

“DeSantis had the best answers of the night.” pic.twitter.com/e05mz3IFRL

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) September 28, 2023

It is time to shrink the number of candidates on the stage. The RNC has to tighten its requirements for participation. Less is more for the candidates. DeSantis and Haley, maybe Ramaswamy, should debate and get on with it. The others are all good Republicans who will be important in the future but have no path to be a serious challenger to Trump. DeSantis represents the more populist wing of the party and Haley is a more establishment-type of candidate. It provides a good contrast and forces voters to choose which way they want the party to go, if Trump is not the nominee.

All the candidates have a lot of work to do in these five weeks leading up to the next debate.