Marco Rubio, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz take part in the March 3, 2016, Republican debate in Detroit. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)
The Fox News debate in August, the first of the 2016 cycle, was just seven months ago, but it seems even longer. So much has happened since then — candidates have dropped out (remember when Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was a leading candidate?), controversies have ensued, and 15 Republican contests have now been held. The one constant? Donald J. Trump was the focal point then, and he certainly was Thursday night.
Trump sat atop polls heading into that Fox debate, and the major question leading into the Cleveland face-off was, would that support hold once he was put through the rigors of a debate? Now, after 11 debates, countless polls and 10 wins, the answer is unquestionably yes.
No, his debate performances haven't always been the smoothest, but it hasn't mattered yet. He's consumed them, just as he has the GOP race, and Thursday night was no different. Just look at the social media stats released immediately after the debate was over: 62% of the Twitter discussion surrounding #GOPDebate candidates was about Trump (Ted Cruz was the next highest at 16%), and 73% of Facebook conversation was about Trump.
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