Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has introduced that he’s withdrawing from the Republican social gathering’s presidential main race and endorsing Donald Trump because the social gathering’s nominee, leaving Indian-American politician Nikki Haley as the only real challenger towards the previous US president within the nomination contest.
DeSantis, who got here in second within the Iowa caucuses with 21 per cent, suspended his marketing campaign on Sunday. He mentioned that it was clear to him {that a} majority of Republican main voters wished to offer Trump one other probability.
“I am unable to ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their sources if we do not have a transparent path to victory. Accordingly, I’m at present suspending my marketing campaign,” the 45-year-old politician mentioned in a video message posted on X, a social media platform.
Haley, 51, the previous US ambassador to the UN, is the one Republican left within the Republican nomination race towards Trump, who’s in search of to enter the White Home for a second time period.
The 77-year-old former president, a White Home occupant from January 2017 to January 2021, misplaced to incumbent Joe Biden within the 2020 elections.
Trump, to this point the preferred Republican presidential candidate with a majority of the social gathering members supporting him, as per all main polls, gained the Iowa Caucus final week and is main within the New Hampshire primaries, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
DeSantis mentioned: I signed a pledge to assist the Republican nominee, and I’ll honour that pledge. He has my endorsement as a result of we will not return to the previous Republican guard of yesteryear. A repackaged type of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”
“Following our second-place end in Iowa, we have prayed and deliberated on our method ahead. If there was something I may do to supply a beneficial final result, extra marketing campaign stops, extra interviews, I’d do it,” he added.
On Sunday, Trump congratulated DeSantis at his New Hampshire rally for working a “good” marketing campaign.
“Earlier than we start, I would wish to take time to congratulate Ron DeSantis and, in fact, a very terrific one that I’ve gotten to know, his spouse Casey, for having run an awesome marketing campaign for president. He actually did. He ran a very good marketing campaign, I’ll let you know. It isn’t simple,” he mentioned
“They suppose it is easy doing these things, proper? It isn’t simple. As you already know, he left the marketing campaign path at present at 3 p.m., and in so doing, he was very gracious, and he endorsed me, so I respect it. I respect that, and I additionally sit up for working with Ron to defeat crooked Joe Biden. We now have to get him out,” the Politico newspaper reported.
With the withdrawal by DeSantis, who as soon as was seen as a formidable problem to Trump, it is now a race of two within the social gathering between Trump and Haley.
Political pundits now say that the previous president is ready to be the Republican social gathering’s nominee and that the November 2024 presidential elections will probably be a repeat of the 2020 elections: Trump vs Biden.
The Trump marketing campaign additionally welcomed DeSantis’ dropout. “With just a few days left till president Donald J Trump’s victory in New Hampshire, we’re honoured by the endorsement from Governor Ron DeSantis and so many different former presidential candidates. It’s now time for all Republicans to rally behind president Trump to defeat crooked Joe Biden and finish his disastrous presidency,” it mentioned.
The Trump marketing campaign additionally criticised Haley. “Nikki Haley is the candidate of the globalists and Democrats who will do every part to cease the America First motion. From greater taxes to decimating Social Safety and Medicare, and to open borders, she represents the views of Democrats greater than the views of Republicans,” the marketing campaign mentioned.
A memo issued by the Trump Marketing campaign additionally mentioned that Haley wanted to drop out of the race to avoid wasting herself from humiliation. “Now that we’re a mere 48 hours from the Main, the tone has shifted mightily. We see it, you see it, however make no mistake, if Nikki Haley loses in New Hampshire – there are solely two choices, the memo mentioned, including that the Indian-American politician ought to both drop out and unite behind Trump or get “demolished and embarrassed” in her residence state of South Carolina.
Nonetheless, Haley, the previous South Carolina governor, insisted that she would keep within the race. “I need to say to Ron: he ran an awesome race. He is been a very good governor. And we want him properly. Having mentioned that, it is now one fellow and one woman left,” she mentioned at a marketing campaign occasion in New Hampshire.In a press release, she mentioned that just one state had voted to this point, and half of its votes went to Trump whereas the opposite half didn’t. “We’re not a rustic of coronations. Voters deserve a say in whether or not we go down the highway of Trump and Biden once more or we go down a brand new conservative highway. New Hampshire voters can have their say on Tuesday. Once I’m president, I’ll do every part in my energy to indicate them they made the best choice,” Haley mentioned.