Trump was the only consistent winner from all the GOP debates

• The GOP presidential debates have come to a close.
• Former President Donald Trump skipped all four of them — it paid off.
• He amassed endorsements and stayed ahead polling as his competition squabbled amongst themselves.

Former President Donald Trump and his campaign made a calculated risk in August to skip each of the four Republican presidential primary debates and let the rest of the field fight for second place.

Now, in December after the Republican National Committee finished hosting its four televised debates, Trump's gamble has paid off: of the entire GOP presidential playing field, he's the only candidate to come out of debates unscathed.