Donald Trump doesn't attend the GOP primary debate, but Fox News still draws 12.8 million viewers

An estimated 12.8 million people watched the first Republican presidential primary discussion on two Fox News television stations and its streaming service, albeit without front-runner Donald Trump.

There was little indication that Trump's attempt to derail the discussion by participating in an online interview with Tucker Carlson at roughly the same time on Wednesday had a significant impact on the amount of individuals interested in learning more about the eight options.

The number of watchers was slightly higher than the 24 million who watched Trump participate in his first presidential debate in August 2015, according to the Nielsen firm. However, it outperformed a January 2016 GOP candidates discussion on Fox that Trump also chose to forego and that 12.5 million viewers watched.