Still, Mr. Trump’s decision to appear in an online video, rather than a nationally televised debate, reflects the changing role of cable news in presidential campaigns, where mass media have provided some of its gatekeeper powers to more niche outlets that aim to die-hard. fans, not swing voters.
Eight years ago, Fox News drew a record 24 million viewers for the first debate of the 2016 Republican primary. Americans are listening to Mr. Trump, then a novelty, dominated the evening with tasteless attacks on Rosie O’Donnell and a fiery clash with moderator Megyn Kelly, who attempted to answer Mr. Trump for his misogynistic behavior.
At the time, Mr. Trump’s name-calling and aggressive presence were an anomaly in the relatively civil arena of presidential debates. On Wednesday, his legacy could be seen across a broad spectrum of candidates like Mr. Christie, who compared Mr. Ramaswamy on a human version of ChatGPT. (The only audible expletive came from an off-color lyric in “Rich Men North of Richmond,” the popular country song and conservative anthem that Fox News played before the first question of the night.)
Privately, Fox News management downplayed the loss of Mr. Trump on Wednesday night, although the network’s chief executive, Suzanne Scott, visited Mr. Trump at his New Jersey club this month to try to persuade him to come out. On Wednesday, the Fox moderators earned some praise for asking a series of important questions on topics ranging from abortion rights to climate change to former Vice President Mike Pence’s refusal to join the Mr. Trump’s effort to reverse the results of the 2020 election.
This is not the first time Mr. Trump has snubbed a major Fox event. In January 2016, on the eve of the crucial Iowa caucuses, Mr. Trump in a network debate because Ms. Kelly is scheduled to be one of the moderators. “Let’s see how much money Fox makes on the debate without me,” he quipped at the time.
Mr. Trump went on to narrowly lose the caucuses. He appeared for Fox’s next major debate in March, and after he won the nomination, the network’s prime-time commentators embraced him, proving that media stars and political stars share at least one main characteristic: adaptability.