GOP front-runner and four times-indicted Donald Trump will not be physically present at Wednesday evening's first 2024 presidential primary debate. But he'll be there anyway as the troubled candidate remains the dominant figure – and issue – of the nominating contest.
Typically, early debates are a chance for poll-laggers to make an impression, either by delivering a well-placed zinger at a top-tier candidate or shining with a smart response to a question. The front-runners tend to have targets on their backs, which could result in a weakened position or a stronger one, if they handle attacks from primary rivals well.
But in the case of the debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday, the participants are in an awkward, perhaps no-win situation: The front-runner won't even be there, and the rest of the field can't attack him without alienating the very voters they'd need to sew up the nomination, should the legally imperiled Trump be forced to suspend his campaign.
Trump is "going to be the huge, spray-tanned elephant in the room. He's going to be what everybody is thinking about, even though he's not there," says Dave Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron.
That means the eight candidates who have qualified for the debate – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson – have few choices, and none is terribly appealing.
They can attack Trump, defend him or try to ignore him – which debate moderators are not likely to let pass, Cohen says. None of those approaches helps a candidate emerge as a better choice than Trump without angering Trump's rank-and-file loyalists.
"They're in a difficult spot, strategically," says Stephen Smith, professor at the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. But "it's one they've earned," he adds.
Only a few have been willing to criticize Trump directly, and it's not appeared to have endeared them to GOP primary voters.
Christie – who worked on Trump's transition team before turning on him – has been the most aggressive in his attacks on Trump, saying the former president lacks the "character" to serve in the Oval Office and needling Trump for skipping the debate, which Christie last week called "completely disrespectful" to GOP voters.
The tactic – essentially making himself the marquee foil of Trump – is based on the gamble that if Trump ends up leaving the race, Christie will emerge as the most prominent truth-teller and default new front-runner.
It's not going so well, so far: National polls have Christie in the low single digits. A recent Des Moines Register/NBC poll in Iowa puts Christie in sixth place with 5% support among GOP caucus-goers.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson – who arguably on paper has the most complete and traditional resume for a Republican presidential contender – is also polling in the low single digits, his criticism of Trump not moving the needle at all.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has stepped up his criticism of Trump's behavior – saying the former president asked him to put him above the Constitution by asking him to refuse to certify the 2020 election results – but hasn't made it as personal.
Pence recently said he was not aware of any "broad-based effort" to declassify records before Trump left office, undercutting the former president's claim that the classified documents he is accused of taking and improperly keeping at his Mar-a-Lago resort were, in fact, declassified. But Pence has also been reluctant to say Trump should be treated like any other politician who has been convicted of a felony – meaning, ousted from office.
"I think that needs to be left to the American people. Look, let’s let the former president have his day in court. Let’s maintain a presumption of innocence in this matter," Pence told ABC on Sunday.
Former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley – the only woman who will be onstage Wednesday night – has cautioned that Trump's legal troubles could cost Republicans the general election. She hasn't directly criticized the former president but didn't shy away earlier this month by reminding people of how much worse Trump's situation is getting.
"Like most Americans, I’m tired of commenting on every Trump drama. I’ve lost track of whether this indictment is the third or fourth or the fifth," Haley said during an appearance on “Good Morning New Hampshire” radio show with Jack Heath – before the fourth indictment out of Georgia’s Fulton County.
Others have responded to questions about Trump with attacks on the criminal justice system and its prosecutors themselves.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running a distant second to Trump in most polls, decried the "weaponization of government" after Trump's third indictment – though he conceded he had not actually read the document. DeSantis also acknowledged recently that the 2020 election was not stolen, telling NBC "of course he lost" when asked about Trump's discredited claims of a fraudulent 2020 contest – a comment not likely to endear him to Trump's most devoted supporters.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina called the recent indictment of Trump "un-American and unacceptable. We need a better system than that."
Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has edged upward in a couple of state polls, has walked a similar line.
"These are politicized persecutions through prosecution,” he said at a town hall meeting last week. “It would be a lot easier for me if Donald Trump were not in this primary, but that is not how I want to win this election," he added.
And North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is just deflecting the matter entirely.
"I do trust the voters. ... They want presidential elections to be about the future, a vision for the future," Burgum told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday after being asked about Trump's troubles.
In reality, it is the candidates not named Trump who will have the most to prove or explain Wednesday night, analysts say. DeSantis, whose campaign has been flailing, might need to explain why he suggested some Republicans backing Trump are "listless vessels" – a cringe-worthy similar remark to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton reference to the "basket of deplorables" in Trump's base.
As the front-runner among the also-rans, DeSantis will likely take the heaviest rhetorical artillery from the GOP field at the debate. Most of the rest will be struggling to get out of single digits – with the possible exception of Burgum, who is still trying to get the American public to recognize his name.
Trump, meanwhile, said he plans to counter-program with the airing of a taped one-on-one interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Thursday – a day when the political news would typically be dominated by post-debate analysis – Trump will be the star player in an unprecedented legal and political drama, turning himself in for processing at a Fulton County jail.
"He's cutting right into the shadow of the debate" with that timing, Smith says. As he undoubtedly will during the debate itself.
。
B | 预览核心要点：这基本上是结合了《阿杰历险记》风格的雅克·库斯托式探险。
C | Nautus 在许多方面感觉像是 蒸汽世界挖掘2 和 深海迷航2 的精心结合。地表上的玩法轻松惬意，但当你驾驶潜水艇进入海底时，它就变成了一款受“银河恶魔城”启发的生存动作游戏。所谓“舒适游戏”（Cozy Game），就是要拥抱所有轻松且富有氛围的事物，在日常琐事中寻找慰藉，与不断壮大的角色社区建立联系，过好每一天。由开发商 Magic Design Studios 推出的新作 Nautus，将这种轻松的氛围带到了热带岛屿背景中，那里的水下隐藏着久远的秘密，而一些古怪的朋友将帮助你揭开真相。这是一个非常奇妙的概念，包含了一些有趣的想法，全部以经典卡通频道动画节目的风格呈现，让世界栩栩如生。在 2026 年科隆游戏展（Gamescom）以及即将开启的封闭测试之前，我们上手试玩了 Nautus，体验了其充满深海奇观的独特水下世界。除了充足的试玩时间外，我们还与游戏设计师 Damian Carmona 进行了交流，探讨了 Nautus 的制作过程，以及他们如何在继 Have a Nice Death 那种可爱哥特风的死后世界之后，打造出一个更具民俗风情、热带气息且拥有诸多水下秘密的新世界。Nautus 及其色彩斑斓的水下生存工艺冒险，本质上是结合了《阿杰历险记》风格的雅克·库斯托式探险。玩家扮演一名年轻的深海探险家，来到一座看似宁静的遥远岛屿寻找失踪的叔叔。在遇到那些正努力重建社区、性格古怪但非常随和的当地人后，你很快就能使用一艘潜水艇来稳步探索下方水域。
D | 但为了到达最深处以揭开岛屿和水下世界的谜团，你需要为你的微型潜艇升级动力，并借助地表社区的力量来实现这一目标。“我们对 Have a Nice Death 感到非常自豪，但我们想从哥特风格和黑白视觉效果做出一些改变，尝试更丰富多彩的东西，而海洋正是一个非常绚丽的设定。”开发商之前的作品、备受推崇的 2D 动作 Roguelike 游戏 Have a Nice Death——另一款具有迷人卡通风格视觉效果的游戏——是他们转向 Nautus 的垫脚石，但这更多是为了尝试更丰富多彩、更轻快的风格。游戏设计师 Damian Carmona 在我们试玩期间解释了为什么转向热带岛屿设定是一个引人入胜的节奏变化。“在 Nautus 中，我们在基调等方面进行了截然不同的冒险。我们对 Have a Nice Death 感到非常自豪，但我们想从哥特风格和黑白视觉效果做出一些改变，尝试更丰富多彩的东西，而海洋正是一个非常绚丽的设定，”该游戏总监说道。“我们说，‘嘿，让我们在这个海洋背景下做一款游戏吧。’它通过与世界的许多互动，以及生存、工艺和探索玩法，变得栩栩如生。”深入体验 Nautus 后，我立刻被岛屿的地表世界所吸引，那是一个色彩缤纷、风格化的设定，感觉就像走进了一部活生生的卡通系列剧。我也惊讶地发现，这款游戏在许多方面感觉像是 蒸汽世界挖掘2 和 深海迷航2 的精心结合。它很好地采用了生存工艺结构，需要收集木材和其他资源来建造工作台，并满足其他需求以保持地表据点的运作，同时还要确保你做好了潜水准备。探索深海需要一定的“手艺”——在这款游戏中确实如此——你需要为这种转变做好准备。在我的开场任务中，Nautus 非常注重建立一个由古怪岛民组成的社区，同时提升潜水艇的动力，以便在不被压力压碎的情况下到达深处。
预览核心要点：这基本上是结合了《阿杰历险记》风格的雅克·库斯托式探险。
有趣的是，除了卡通片，开发商在塑造围绕主角的奇特角色阵容时，还受到了电视剧《办公室》（The Office）的启发。除了 Umiko 和 Mitchell（经营水下装备店的随性岛民），你还会遇到古老的岛屿神灵，它会赋予你生存于深海所需的必要升级。潜水后回到地面，感觉就像回到了一个安全但古怪的避难所，冷淡的居民在这里过着悠闲的生活，而长久、黑暗的秘密就隐藏在下方。这就是 Nautus 的核心玩法发生奇怪但有趣转变的地方，因为它转变成了一种生存体验。当控制潜水艇时，Nautus 会转变为一款受“银河恶魔城”启发的生存动作游戏，你必须小心翼翼地穿过危险区域，并对抗充满敌意的水生生物。虽然这不像 Dredgers - 沉没的王国 或 深海迷航2 那样会有突然的恐怖元素转折，但 Nautus 在其海底航行中仍旨在营造一种怪异的氛围。除了敌对生物，你还必须管理潜水艇的能量，以及潜水员需要单独行动时的氧气。
我非常喜欢探索 Nautus 的海底世界，许多地表世界的元素都是在为这些潜水时刻做铺垫。探索过程虽然怪异，但也充满诱惑且绚丽多彩，不同的生物群落逐渐过渡到更具外星感的感官海景。它将表现力强且细腻的视觉风格提升到了一个新的高度，Nautus 的海底世界是我在生存工艺游戏中见过的最迷人的场景之一。Nautus 的海底世界是我在生存工艺游戏中见过的最迷人的场景之一。
从这次早期的 Nautus 试玩来看，我不禁对开发商 Magic Design Studios 所实现的这种有趣平衡留下了深刻印象。生存工艺游戏有时很难让人找到节奏，尤其是从长远来看，但我真的被 Nautus 那种轻松惬意的基调所吸引。这不仅是一个富有表现力、受卡通启发的世界，让人感到亲切和有趣；它还拥有一些非常聪明、成熟的生存动作元素，让人感到兴奋。如果你正在寻找一款新的生存工艺游戏，那么你不用等太久，因为封闭测试将于 8 月 31 日开启，目前已在 Steam 上开启报名。
《GTA6》裸体小镇尺度太爆！玩家担忧突破审核极限
微信春节红包蛋面向世界：企业可定制专属封面
荣耀Play 20A海外发布：联发科G81、入门机也有背屏
北面母公司一季度亏损超5000万美元，Vans的运动潮流卖不动了
White House won't say publicly whether US has asked Israel to delay Gaza invasion
德罗赞有望担当掘金第六人 为板凳提供进攻输出
补壹刀：撒马尔罕，见证历史！
Scientists Discover Matter Jet From Black Hole 50 Times Bigger Than Its Galaxy
达利欧：美国3年内或现债务危机，建议配置黄金降低投资风险
有了TPU还不够，谷歌开始为Gemini 独造芯片：推理能效或达6到10倍
PM releases Rs 16K cr under 'PM-Kisan' fund
香港首个五年规划9月16日公布