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STORY: Donald Trump spent Wednesday (September 27) night courting blue collar voters in Michigan.

Instead of joining what turned out to be a chaotic second Republican presidential debate in California.

For a man who wasn't there, Trump’s presence remained heavy in the room as his seven Republican rivals used the debate to attack him.

Among them, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called out Trump for being “missing in action” and for adding trillions of dollars to the national debt, saying:

“He should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record.”

This comes after months of avoiding direct conflict with the former president, as DeSantis’ poll numbers plunged from previously being a viable Trump alternative.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is a frequent Trump critic, accused Trump of being “afraid”, calling him “Donald Duck” for “ducking” the debate.

Mike Pence, who was Trump’s vice president, offered a mild critique of his desire to centralize power in the federal government.

While former United Nations envoy Nikki Haley, who was also once South Carolina governor, said Trump’s trade-focused approach to China was wrong.

The Republican rivals also hit out at Democratic President Joe Biden - and, even more so, at one another.

But as the debate ended, none of the seven candidates on stage appeared to have secured any sort of breakout moment that could loosen Trump's grip on the primary contest.

The former President’s four criminal indictments went virtually unmentioned during the two-hour broadcast.

Trump leads his nearest rival for the nomination by 37 percentage points in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Minutes before the debate kicked off, Trump delivered a speech to striking autoworkers in the battleground state of Michigan.

Telling them their pay talks with America’s three biggest carmakers didn’t matter, because Biden’s push for electric vehicles was about to kill all their jobs.

“Biden's mandate isn't a government regulation it's a government assassination of your jobs and of your industry. The auto industry is being assassinated and it makes no difference what you get.”

Wednesday marked the second time Trump has shunned the GOP debate this election cycle.

“Do me a favor. Just get your union guys, your leaders, to endorse me and I'll take care of the rest.”

Trump's decision signals a focus on beating Biden - rather than the Republican contenders who trail him badly in the polls.