Former President Donald Trump dominated the field of Republican candidates vying for the GOP nomination for the 2024 presidential election.
The large lead by Trump didn't stop two Republican opponents from facing off in a fifth televised debate Wednesday night.
What Happened: While Trump once again skipped the Republican primary debate, presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley faced off on stage Wednesday night.
The debate aired on CNN, a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery WBD, and marked the smallest field with only two candidates taking place. Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie, who announced the end of his campaign Wednesday, failed to meet debate qualifications.
Haley has been surging up the polls. The spike coincides with many experts pointing to her strong performance in past debates. Experts shared with the New York Post their thoughts on the performance by Haley and DeSantis at the fifth debate.
"She was sharp, informed, and compelling throughout the night," political consultant Bill O'Riley said. "Her use of DeSantisLies.com was a smart rhetorical tactic by her campaign. Few will go to the website, but viewers heard that message over and over again."
O'Riley said DeSantis "hit his marks" in the fifth debate and it likely won't hurt his standing, "but it did nothing to put momentum on his side."
Political consultant Rob Ryan said DeSantis missed the mark with his opening statement, saying Haley was running "to pursue her donors' issues."
"Haley came off strong and informed. She stood her ground and pushed back on DeSantis' attacks. She was smart to focus more on her accomplishments," Ryan said.
Political consultant O'Brien Murray said the moderators may have saved DeSantis, using a boxing analogy calling the moderators the bell to save the political candidate from being knocked out by his opponent.
"(Haley) is ready for a general election, she can win, and DeSantis showing up only confirmed she is ready for prime time, and he's ready to go back to Florida," Murray said.
Another political consultant said Haley was a "bulldozer" in the debate.
"She tried to paint DeSantis as a liar — and it worked. DeSantis looked lost," Hank Sheinkopf said.
Chris Coffey, a Democratic political consultant, told the New York Post that Trump was the big winner Wednesday night.
"Haley looked confident and sounded like a leader, but this is all the Twilight Zone. She can't bring herself to go after Trump, who is leading every poll. It's like a battle to come in second after the game has been decided," Coffey said.
The debate felt like candidates were lying to themselves about having a chance of winning the Republican nomination, according to Coffey.
"Trump is the big winner tonight,” Coffey said. “The American people are the losers."
A former FBI agent analyzed the body language of DeSantis and Haley during the debate to try and pick a winner.
Joe Navarro wrote for Politico that DeSantis shifts his jaw from side to side when he's feeling pressed. That happened several times during the fifth debate on television.
"Haley used hand gestures like a painter uses a palette. Her motions were wide and varied: She thrusted and jabbed at the air, moved her hand in circles, counter on her fingers and used precision grips – which demonstrate a command of a subject," Navarro said.
Navarro also pointed out how DeSantis’ inability to look Haley in the eye during his criticisms of her was a potential sign of weakness.
"Haley understood this: she stared DeSantis down when she went on the offensive."
Related Link: Trouble For Trump? Nikki Haley Closing The Gap In New Hampshire Polls
Why It's Important: Political experts point to Haley as being the winner of the fifth debate but continue to see a wide gap between Trump and the other candidates.
A recent Morning Consult poll showed Trump with a 52-point lead, getting 65% of the vote from Republican voters nationwide, compared to 13% for DeSantis and 11% for Haley.
Potential sixth and seventh debates are planned for Jan. 18 on The Walt Disney Company's DIS unit ABC News and Jan. 21 on CNN.
DeSantis, Haley, Trump and Christie qualified for the sixth and seventh debates, which likely means more head-to-head matchups between DeSantis and Haley.
The battle for the Republican presidential campaign continues to heat up, with Iowa and New Hampshire having battles in January. Haley's home state of South Carolina holds its primary on Feb. 24.
Image: Shutterstock
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