Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of two remaining challengers to former President Donald Trump, withdrew from the presidential race Sunday ahead of the New Hampshire primary and endorsed Trump.
In a video released from Florida on Sunday afternoon, DeSantis endorsed Trump over his final challenger, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and said that despite his disagreements with Trump, said he thinks she is better than Haley and certainly better than Democratic President Joe Biden. .
Watch the video here:
“Success is not final and failure is not fatal. What matters is the courage to continue.”
– Winston Churchill pic.twitter.com/ECoR8YeiMm
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 21, 2024
DeSantis said in the video that after finishing second in Iowa (he finished ahead of Haley but far behind Trump), he, his family, and his team “planned their future.” I prayed and thought about it,” he said.
“If there's anything I can do to create a favorable outcome, such as canceling more campaigns and doing more interviews, I will do it,” DeSantis said. “But we can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources unless we have a clear path to victory. Therefore, I am suspending my campaign today.”
Seconds later, DeSantis formally endorsed Trump.
“It's clear that the vast majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” DeSantis said. “They saw his presidency hampered by persistent resistance, and they see Democrats using the law to this day to attack him. The coronavirus pandemic and Anthony Fauci. I have some disagreements with Donald Trump, such as the promotion of the Republican Party, but Trump is better than the incumbent Joe Biden. That's clear. I signed the pledge to support the Republican nominee. And I intend to honor that pledge. I'm rooting for him because of the old guard of the Republican Party, as represented by Nikki Haley, a repackaged version of overcooked corporatism. Because there is no going back. The days of putting Americans last, pandering to big business and bowing to woke ideology are over.”
Republican officials close to President Trump have also begun to react to the news, with early Trump supporter Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) speaking on Breitbart News Saturday's SiriusXM 125 just this weekend. Patriot Channel called out DeSantis and Haley: He withdrew so Republicans could unite behind Trump and praised DeSantis' move.
good @RonDeSantis For allowing us to be unified. your turn, @NikkiHaley.
of @GOP we must unite @realDonaldTrump To defeat Joe Biden.
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) January 21, 2024
Mr Blackburn is one of many who promoted a call for unity this weekend.
of @GOP we must unite @realDonaldTrump.https://t.co/1OXrCCGRt9
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) January 20, 2024
DeSantis' withdrawal from the race leaves Haley as the most likely challenger to Trump in this field. The rivalry between Trump and Haley has intensified ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire Republican primary, and polls show that if Trump does well there, the race could move into Nevada. And there's a chance he'll settle her early and early before moving on to South Carolina. . Ms. Haley is not even scheduled to appear in the Nevada caucuses, meaning Ms. DeSantis is effectively out of the race, with other candidates having a slightly larger lead in the Iowa caucuses than former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Ryan Binkley was the only candidate to receive the votes, meaning Trump's unanimous victory in the state is assured. – Competing in Nevada. What this means is that Tuesday's New Hampshire primary is essentially a fight to the death for Haley. In order to make any headway in the campaign, he must defeat Trump and win the primary outright.
Given the fact that the Granite State's top acting governor, Chris Sununu, has actively lowered expectations for Haley in public, insisting that her second-place finish was a good thing for Haley. This development is bad news for Haley's future. That is clearly no longer the case, and the chances of anyone being able to prevent Trump from winning the Republican nomination and quickly ending it are essentially non-existent at this stage.
