United States: Former President Donald Trump wanted to win New Hampshire and break Nikki Haley to a certain extent that his rival would drop from the Republican presidential nominations before the next competition contest in South Carolina, which was a month away.
On Tuesday, the former President easily defeated the former South Carolina governor, but his carefully crafted strategy to drive Haley out of the race didn’t work, denying Trump the chance; as of now, all this focus and attention is driven at his next rival Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and the November general elections.
DeSantis Endorses Trump
On Tuesday night, as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the sole contender, withdrew his name from the elections and endowed for Trump, 77, was full of fury after Haley, 52, vowed in a night speech to fight on.
“Who the hell was the imposter who went up on the stage before and, like, claimed a victory?” Trump asked a crowd of supporters in New Hampshire, adding, “I don’t get too angry. I get even.”
As he campaigned in snow-covered New Hampshire over the past week, Trump had his sights set on South Carolina, 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) to the south, which will host the next highly fought primary on Feb. 24.
According to Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign advisor, the campaign spent weeks planning a show of support with the goal of pushing Haley out of the race before the South Carolina contest.
Scott’s Endorsement Shakes Up Haley’s Campaign
Trump locked in the endorsement of former rival U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina on Friday, who campaigned with him and alongside the state’s governor, Henry McMaster, and other state officials.
As reported by Reuters, Scott had been torn between staying out of the race and endorsing his former rival. Back-to-back calls from Trump persuaded him to do this.
On Tuesday night, Scott, who was first appointed to the Senate by Haley in 2013, stated, “Staying on the sidelines was not the right thing to do. ” He stood beside Trump during his speech after the victory and urged and requested Haley to drop out of the elections.
Two eyewitnesses to this matter who gave their statements on the condition of anonymity said that the time of that endorsement, just days before the New Hampshire vote, took Haley’s team aback. One of them, who talks regularly with Haley, said Scott’s announcement “seemed designed for maximum impact.”
“It really sends a signal that the party is unified behind President Trump,” Miller told Reuters. “There’s nowhere else for Nikki Haley to go. It’s time for her to get out of the race.”
For a candidate who isn’t in the White House right now, finishing the primary campaign so early would be extraordinary.
“Infinity War”
As per Haley, on Nov. 5, she would have an excellent chance of beating President Joe Biden in elections.
“This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go to. And the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina,” she said on Tuesday. “I’m a fighter, and I’m scrappy, and now we’re the last one standing next to Donald Trump.”
Haley planned for an evening rally on Wednesday in Charleston, South Carolina, and Betsy Ankney, the campaign manager, told reporters that a $4 million TV ad had locked onto this weekend campaign in the state, with the first ads airing on Wednesday.
After trailing Trump in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, DeSantis had likewise pledged to keep going, but he halted his campaign and gave his endorsement to Trump less than a week later.
Super Tuesday Looms Large for Haley
Super Tuesday, or Mar. 5, when 15 states and one U.S. territory have simultaneous primaries, might be a turning point, according to a memo released earlier on Tuesday by Haley’s campaign manager. She stated that this is because many of these states are likely to be receptive to a Trump alternative because of their “favorable demographics.”
Haley told about her experience as the former United Nations ambassador under Trump and warned of the “chaos” that follows him.
Basically, she wanted to give negative feedback about the former President across New Hampshire. This was an allusion to the 91 criminal offenses he faced in four trials, including his attempt to change his 2020 election loss.
Haley’s ability to create a coalition of Republicans and independents to trial Trump in New Hampshire by roughly 11% points suggests that he might have difficulties in general elections with those who didn’t support his core support base. In a poll released by the University of New Hampshire two days before the Republican primary, 28% of likely Republican voters said Trump hurt the country during his four-year term.
According to the FiveThirtyEight.com polling average, Trump is leading Haley by 37 percentage points in South Carolina compared to New Hampshire.
The reason behind Trump’s popularity among Republicans is primarily because he delivered on policies they like, including lower taxes and a tough stance on China, said Dean Lacy, a political science professor at Dartmouth College.
‘Backup Plan’
As per Lacy, With the backing of anti-Trump donors, Haley is continuing her campaign given the prospect that Trump’s legal troubles could eventually kick in. “I don’t see her winning,” Lacy said. “But she could stay in the race as a backup plan.”
“I expect that the donor base will remain loyal,” Eric Levine, a New York-based Haley donor and fundraiser, said he’ll continue to support her and raise money.
Considering one of the series by South Carolina officials was Scott’s endorsement that illustrated how completely the Republican established in South Carolina and, indeed, across much of the U.S. – has closed ranks around Trump.
On Monday, in a surprise, South Carolina U.S. Representative Nancy Mace endorsed Trump. Trump had a poor relationship with her. The former President back in 2022 backed a primary challenger to Mace, but Haley helped her and had her back at that time.
According to the person known with his campaign operations, Trump didn’t solicit Mace’s endorsement. Mace changed her decision after getting to know that Trump is leading Haley in the state by nearly 40% points, as per a person familiar with Mace.
“The Trump campaign is anything but normal,” said Brian Darling, a Republican strategist and former senior aide to U.S. Senator Rand Paul. “Trump is going for the political termination of Nikki Haley early and trying to end this race.”