Several Democrats took to social media Saturday night to mock former President Donald Trump following his victory in the South Carolina Republican primary, with some even encouraging his last major Republican rival to stay in the race.
The primaries were called for the former president and 2024 GOP front-runner moments after polls closed Saturday night. Trump celebrated by saying that he hoped to tell President Biden in November: “Joe, you're fired.”
In a statement following news of Trump's victory over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Biden insisted that “every day, Americans are reminded of the threat Donald Trump poses to our future as they grapple with the damage he left back”.
Biden specifically took aim at Trump over the abortion issue, saying the former president is “ripping away a fundamental constitutional right that women had in this country for 50 years.”
TRUMP WINS THE SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY AGAINST HALEY IN HIS HOME STATE AND COMES CLOSER TO EARNING THE GOP NOMINATION
In a statement following news of Trump's victory over former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, President Biden insisted that “every day, Americans are reminded of the threat Donald Trump poses to our future as they grapple with the damage that he left behind.” (Getty Images)
“We are still rebuilding the economy after Trump lost millions of good-paying jobs and sold out working families to give handouts to himself and his rich friends,” Biden added. “And Trump vows to once again use the presidency for his own revenge and retribution after January 6 stained our collective conscience.”
Reacting to the news of Trump's victory, Victor Shi, Joe Biden's youngest elected delegate in 2020, wrote on South by more than 97% of the votes.” vote and that almost 60% of Nikki Haley voters said in exit polls that they would vote against Trump today.
“Trump is weak and will lose,” Shi added.
In a follow-up post, Shi insisted that Trump “hasn't even surpassed 60% of the vote today” and that he “is in a weak position.”
“The Republican Party is in disarray. Democrats are united behind President Biden,” Shi said.
Democratic political strategist Adam Parkhomenko also weighed in after Trump's victory, writing in a post for X: “Things are not going well at the Trump event in South Carolina.”
Parkhomenko's post included a clip of Trump welcoming South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to the stage as he delivered his victory remarks. In the clip, Graham could be seen walking toward the microphone as the crowd of Trump supporters booed the senator.
Josh Marshall, founder and editor-in-chief of Talking Points Memo, a liberal political news and opinion website, wrote an article titled “Face it: This is a weak performance for Trump in South Carolina.”
In the article, Marshall wrote: “I'm not going to speculate on what it means for the general election. But there is a lot of lingering opposition for a candidate who has always run as a de facto incumbent.”
TRUMP 'DON'T REALLY THINK ABOUT' HALEY AFTER SOUTH CAROLINA VICTORY, SAYS HE'S FOCUSED ON BEATING BIDEN
“Even if you set aside that de facto incumbency, it's quite a lot for a candidate who, regardless of the technicalities he wants to get caught up in, is the presumptive nominee. 40% of Republican primary voters are still showing up to say no “. “They don't want Trump even when they know they're definitely going to get him,” he added.
Former President Donald Trump gestures to supporters during an election night watch party at the State Fairgrounds on February 24, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Others hope Haley remains in the race to compete with Trump.
During an appearance on CNN, Rep. James Clyburn, DS.C., said he believes Haley should remain in the race against Trump.
“I think Nikki Haley should stay in the race,” Clyburn told CNN's Jake Tapper.
Clyburn's comments came after California Gov. Gavin Newsom told MSNBC on Saturday during an interview airing Sunday that he believes Haley is one of the Democratic Party's “best surrogates” to make the case against Trump.
“I don't know why Democrats would want her out of the race,” Newsom told the outlet. “She's one of our best surrogates. I mean, she's credibly and effectively defining the opposition to Trump.”
“She is making points that I applaud every day,” he added.
Republican presidential candidate and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during her primary election night rally at The Charleston Place on February 24, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Despite many Republican calls for Haley to drop out of the race, the former U.N. ambassador said Saturday night that she's not going anywhere. Haley had vowed to stay in the race even if she lost the Palmetto State, and she said she would stick to that.
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“I am a woman of my word. I will not give up this fight when the majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” she told supporters gathered at a viewing party in Charleston.
Fox News projected on Saturday, shortly after polls closed, that Trump will win the state's Republican primary. Trump has three times as many delegates as Haley; he will earn up to 50 more tonight.
But Haley intends to keep the race going until Super Tuesday. “Tomorrow we head to Michigan. And we head to the Super Tuesday states all next week,” she said.
