SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Doug Burgum repeatedly tried to interject himself into tonight's debate, to the point where co-moderator Dana Perino threatened to cut his mic.

"If you're 45 minutes into a presidential debate with only seven people on the stage and you haven't been asked a question and we've already covered technology, which I have more experience than anybody else on the stage; the economy, which I have more experience than, than all of them combined, I've created more jobs than the whole stage combined.

"And then we talk about China -- and I'm the only one that's had software pirated from China in 1989 when I was a kid starting a software company. So you'd like to say, 'Hey, I've got something to say on these topics.'" he told The Post in the spin room.

"So, yes, we were aggressive about pushing ourselves into that debate and that's something that we just have to do and we'll continue to do, because the American people need to hear what our campaign has to say and they need to understand they have an alternative. Instead of going with a career politician, you could go with a business leader, who's proven as a business leader, that you can take that, translate that into government and actually get great results.”

Vivek Ramaswamy played down the “personal insults” sent his way during the second Republican primary debate and noted that one from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was particularly novel.  

“On the feeling dumber, that's actually the first time I've actually ever heard that. So I'll take that as a first,” Ramaswamy told Fox News host Sean Hannity after Wednesday’s debate. 

Haley ripped into Ramaswamy in one of the most contentious moments of the debate, over his campaign’s use of the social media platform TikTok, telling the candidate, "Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say."

“We can't trust you, Vivek,” she went on.

“There was a lot of personal insults coming my way. That's OK,” Ramaswamy told Hannity. “These are still good people. I respect the policy disagreements that we had. But I'm not running against any of them. I'm running for this country. And I think part of what you saw is, I am the new guy. And I do have to earn the trust of the voters.” 

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- DeSantis was the center of attention in the post-debate spin room, with a herd of reporters focused on his one-on-one with Sean Hannity.

"Governor DeSantis, can we ask you a question? C’mon!!!!” a reporter yelled at one point as the Fox interview went on.

Alas, DeSantis exited the room after the Hannity sitdown without taking any further questions.

Ron DeSantis does not like crosstalk.

"There was a lot of bickering on the stage," DeSantis told Fox News' Sean Hannity after the debate.

"I think some of the crosstalk, if I was at home watching that, I'd turn the channel when I saw that," the governor continued, possibly making the Trump campaign's point for it. "So we were able to really rise above that."

The Trump campaign has come out with its response to tonight's proceedings.

“Tonight’s GOP debate was as boring and inconsequential as the first debate, and nothing that was said will change the dynamics of the primary contest being dominated by President Trump," says senior adviser Chris LaCivita.

"President Trump has a 40- or 50-point lead in the primary election and a 10-point lead over Joe Biden in the general election, and it’s clear that President Trump alone can defeat Biden. The RNC should immediately put an end to any further primary debates so we can train our fire on Crooked Joe Biden and quit wasting time and money that could be going to evicting Biden from the White House.”

With 15 minutes left in the debate, former President Donald Trump's campaign resent the contents of a February email blasting former U.S. ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley for "flip-flopping" on her decision to run in 2024, seemingly in response to her strong performance Wednesday night.

The new email included a few additional critiques with more recent quotes from Haley, but overall raised the same arguments the Trump campaign made in the first email blast on Feb. 15.

The message, whose content The Post previously covered when it was first sent following Haley's campaign announcement, listed multiple critiques of prior Haley comments, including her statement in April 2021 that she would support the 45th president, 77, if he chose to run again in 2024.

“I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it,” she said at the time. “That’s something that we will have a conversation about at some point, if that decision is something that has to be made.”

Though the date was changed on the Wednesday email, it kept the same subject line of its predecessor: "The Real Nikki Haley."

Chris Christie kept up his attacks on Donald Trump in absentia almost until the very last moment of the debate.

While most of the contenders revolted when Dana Perino asked them to write down which candidate they'd want to remove from the campaign, Christie noted he didn't write a name down, but had Trump in mind.

"I'd vote Donald Trump off the island right now," Christie said. "Every person on this stage is showing the respect for Republican voters to come here to express their views."

"This guy has not only divided our party. He's divided families all over this country. He's divided friends all over this country."

If tonight's fireworks left you wanting more, mark your calendar:

The third debate will take place in Miami on Nov. 8, while the 2024 Republican primary calendar begins with the Iowa caucuses Jan. 15, 2024.

In the penultimate portion of the debate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rebuked former President Donald Trump for claiming that the “abortion issue” cost Republicans significant gains in the 2022 midterm elections. 

“I reject this idea that pro-lifers are to blame for midterm defeats,” DeSantis said. “I think there's other reasons for that. The former president, you know, he's missing in action tonight. He's had a lot to say about that. He should be here explaining his comments to try to say that pro-life protections are somehow a terrible thing.”

Trump argued in a January Truth Social post that the “abortion issue” was “poorly handled by many Republicans” and “lost large numbers of Voters” in the midterms.  

“We're better off when everybody counts,” DeSantis added. “And I think we should stand for what we believe in.”