Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who had vowed to continue her campaign despite losing nearly every state in this year's Republican primary, suspended her campaign Wednesday morning, acknowledging that she has no path to victory over former President Trump. . .
Trump's former UN ambassador has no immediate plans to endorse him. In a morning speech in South Carolina announcing his decision, she said he needs to win over Republicans and independent voters who have become wary of him.
“Now it is up to Donald Trump to win the votes of those in our party and beyond who did not support him. And I hope he does. At its best, politics is about bringing people to your cause, not turning them away,” Haley said. “And our conservative cause urgently needs more people. Now is the time to choose.”
Trump did not immediately respond to Haley's comments. However, President Biden stepped in and praised her.
“It takes a lot of courage to run for president; that's especially true in today's Republican Party, where very few dare to tell the truth about Donald Trump,” he said in a statement. “Nikki Haley was willing to tell the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to tell right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin.”
He urged his followers to join his effort.
“I know there are many things we will not agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, upholding the rule of law, treating each other with decency, dignity and respect, preserving NATO, and confronting America's adversaries, I hope and believe that we can find common ground. “
Haley spoke the day after losing nearly every state on Super Tuesday, including California.
In what was effectively a concession speech, Haley highlighted the traditional priorities espoused by the Republican establishment before Trump took over the party.
“Even though I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in,” Haley said, highlighting the national debt, the size of the federal government, dysfunction in Congress and her criticism of both Trump and Trump. . and Biden on her approaches to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“If we withdraw further, there will be more war, not less. “It is important that while we stand firm for the cause of freedom, we must unite as Americans, we must turn away from the darkness of hate and division,” he said.
The former South Carolina governor was seen as the last bulwark against the former president by anti-Trump Republicans, including veteran California GOP strategist Rob Stutzman, a former adviser to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He described himself as not surprised but disappointed by Haley's decision.
“His candidacy had a great purpose. “She is now the leader of the faction of Republicans who do not want Trump in the White House,” Stutzman said.
Trump initially faced a large field of candidates seeking to be an alternative to the former president, including Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and several others.
For most of last year, Haley resisted forcefully confronting her former boss, but as the field narrowed, she became more aggressive. And she frequently highlighted polls that showed she would probably do better against Biden in November than against Trump.
Haley's positioning won support from suburban, college-educated voters and women who were once reliable GOP voters and cost the party support during Trump's 2016 and 2020 elections, including in Orange County. She also garnered support from traditional Republican donors and outside groups that propped up her campaign, at least until she began suffering a series of losses.
Trump is on the verge of securing 1,215 delegates to win the Republican nomination later this month. However, Haley made history by being the first Republican woman to win the primary: in Washington, DC, on Sunday, and in Vermont, on Tuesday.
