“The time has now come to suspend my campaign,” Haley said. “I have no regrets.”
She said it was likely Trump, who repeatedly belittled her candidacy even resorting to making disparaging comments about her Indian ancestry (Haley was born to Sikh immigrants from the Indian part of Punjab - TVP World) would be the Republican nominee but did not endorse him.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond those who did not support him,” she said. “And I hope he does that.”
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations when he was president, made the announcement in a speech in Charleston a day after Super Tuesday, when Trump beat her soundly in 14 of 15 Republican nominating contests.
Haley only narrowly beat Trump in Vermont on Tuesday by a plurality of votes: 49.9% to Trump’s 45.5%, with the remainder going to other candidates, but that still only secured her just 9 out of 17 of the Republican delegates from the state. Her only decisive victory over Trump was in the District of Columbia, where she soundly defeated Trump 62.9% to 33.2%, securing her all 19 of the D.C. delegates.
She said it was likely Trump, who repeatedly belittled her candidacy even resorting to making disparaging comments about her Indian ancestry (Haley was born to Sikh immigrants from the Indian part of Punjab - TVP World) would be the Republican nominee but did not endorse him.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond those who did not support him,” she said. “And I hope he does that.”
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations when he was president, made the announcement in a speech in Charleston a day after Super Tuesday, when Trump beat her soundly in 14 of 15 Republican nominating contests.
Haley only narrowly beat Trump in Vermont on Tuesday by a plurality of votes: 49.9% to Trump’s 45.5%, with the remainder going to other candidates, but that still only secured her just 9 out of 17 of the Republican delegates from the state. Her only decisive victory over Trump was in the District of Columbia, where she soundly defeated Trump 62.9% to 33.2%, securing her all 19 of the D.C. delegates.
She also picked up single-digit numbers of delegates from Iowa, Michigan, and South Carolina, but the fact she lost to Trump in the latter, her home state, bode poorly for her chances in the race.
The stakes
Drawing on her foreign policy experience at the U.N., Haley said it was important to continue U.S. global leadership and displayed hawkish attitudes when it came to assisting U.S.’s allies, notably Taiwan against China and Ukraine against Russia.
Haley was vocal about the need for the United States helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression, while Trump’s position on the subject has been far less clear cut, sparking fears his victory could leave Washington abandoning its support for Kyiv.
The stakes
Drawing on her foreign policy experience at the U.N., Haley said it was important to continue U.S. global leadership and displayed hawkish attitudes when it came to assisting U.S.’s allies, notably Taiwan against China and Ukraine against Russia.
Haley was vocal about the need for the United States helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression, while Trump’s position on the subject has been far less clear cut, sparking fears his victory could leave Washington abandoning its support for Kyiv.
What is certain is that Trump, whose iron grip on the party's base remains firm despite multiple criminal indictments, has been weighing in in favor of pro-isolationist candidates for Republican members of Congress in the primaries as a means to ensure they toe the line and delay the passage of security a aid package that would provide assistance to Ukraine, but also Taiwan and Israel.
"If we retreat further, there will be more war, not less," Haley warned, although as of yet there was no indication Trump would moderate his message.
Furthermore, Republican lawmakers, pressured by Trump, rejected a bipartisan immigration enforcement bill in February, giving Biden an opportunity to argue that Republicans are more interested in preserving the southern border as a problem, rather than finding a solution.
"If we retreat further, there will be more war, not less," Haley warned, although as of yet there was no indication Trump would moderate his message.
Furthermore, Republican lawmakers, pressured by Trump, rejected a bipartisan immigration enforcement bill in February, giving Biden an opportunity to argue that Republicans are more interested in preserving the southern border as a problem, rather than finding a solution.
The problem of stemming illegal immigration has proven a headache for Biden’s administration, and one that is likely only to grow as months go by something MAGA-Republicans appear to be keen to exploit in the campaign. In turn, Trump faces a slew of legal challenges, and while most Republicans view his indictments as politically motivated, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, about a quarter of Republicans and half of independents say they will support him if he is convicted of a crime before the election.
The challenges
Just as Haley was conceding the race, he criticized her before inviting her supporters to join him. “Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social media platform.
President Biden, in turn, praised Haley for daring to “speak the truth” about Trump and extended his own invitation to her supporters.
“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said in a statement.
Haley stepping down from the race means that the November elections will be between two oldest major party candidates to ever face off in the bid for the White House (Trump is 77, Biden is 81).
On top of opinion polls showing both Biden and Trump have low approval ratings among voters, some commentators have been raising the issue of the mental acuity of the candidates.
And although moderate Republicans and independents highlighted how Trump's scorched-earth style of politics could make him vulnerable in the November 5 election against Biden, half of the respondents in the previously mentioned survey have expressed concerns about advanced age impeding Trump’s ability to perform as president as well.
The challenges
Just as Haley was conceding the race, he criticized her before inviting her supporters to join him. “Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social media platform.
President Biden, in turn, praised Haley for daring to “speak the truth” about Trump and extended his own invitation to her supporters.
“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said in a statement.
Haley stepping down from the race means that the November elections will be between two oldest major party candidates to ever face off in the bid for the White House (Trump is 77, Biden is 81).
On top of opinion polls showing both Biden and Trump have low approval ratings among voters, some commentators have been raising the issue of the mental acuity of the candidates.
And although moderate Republicans and independents highlighted how Trump's scorched-earth style of politics could make him vulnerable in the November 5 election against Biden, half of the respondents in the previously mentioned survey have expressed concerns about advanced age impeding Trump’s ability to perform as president as well.
Source: Reuters, TVP World
More In Politics MORE...
