Trump's absence is a debate challenge for his competitors

After Donald Trump said late last week that he won't attend Wednesday night’s Republican presidential primary debate, the candidates who will show up have a new challenge: They have to stand out from the competitors on the stage and make the debate count as Trump does his best to suck up all the oxygen by releasing an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

It’s not yet clear where that interview will be released—somewhere online, without the heft of a television network—but if Trump says anything remotely noteworthy, the clip will be played and replayed on all the TV networks and social media platforms. But that’s not the only way Trump has to overshadow the Republican debate. Sometime this week, before Friday at noon, he has to surrender to Georgia authorities for booking after his latest round of criminal charges. He could conceivably do that on Wednesday right before the debate. He could do it on Thursday right after the debate. As much as he might loath the possibility of having a mugshot and fingerprints taken—and even more so, having his height and weight made public—it’s going to happen sometime this week, making the timing a tool in his media domination kit.