Kristen Welker is introduced as the moderator of Meet the Press and begins her analysis of the debate.

• Welker sets the stage by mentioning Trump's absence and the critical nature of the debate for the candidates.

The segment delves into how candidates dealt with the presence of Trump in the debate.

• Chris Christie was the only candidate to directly target Trump, while others avoided direct confrontation.
• DeSantis evaded questions about Trump's fitness for office, maintaining his position without direct engagement.

Focus shifts to the other candidates' collective attacks on Nikki Haley during the debate.

• Candidates chose to concentrate their criticism on Nikki Haley, allowing Trump to remain unchallenged.
• Haley, who has been rising in the polls, was prepared for the attacks and attempted to deflect criticism.

Analysis of the dynamics between the candidates and the implications for the race's second place.

• The debate featured attempts to take down Nikki Haley by Ronda DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Vivek Ramaswamy.
• Despite the focus on Haley, the real battle seems to be for second place in the polls.

Welker evaluates Nikki Haley's performance and the potential impact on her campaign.

• Haley's deflection of criticism about big dollar donors could resonate with the Republican base.
• Some of Haley's supporters felt this was not her strongest debate performance.

The segment wraps up with a reminder for the upcoming Meet the Press and promotional information.

• Kristen Welker teases future discussions on Meet the Press.
• The audience is invited to watch the Today show and given details about the streaming channel.