01/21/2024 – 19:58
Florida governor abandons campaign for Republican nomination for US president. Decision leaves Nikki Haley as Donald Trump's only opponent in the race for the party's seat. Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced this Sunday (21/01) that he has suspended his campaign for the Republican Party's nomination for a spot in the race for president of the U.S. Outside of the race, he declared support for former President Donald Trump.
The withdrawal of DeSantis – initially seen as the strongest alternative to Trump – leaves former South Carolina governor and former US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, as the former president's only opponent in the race for the party's seat. .
The announcement comes after last Monday's Iowa caucus primaries, in which DeSantis came in second, 30 percentage points behind Trump, a disastrous result even after a campaign that cost tens of millions of dollars.
Expecting an even worse result in the New Hampshire primaries, which will be held next Tuesday, January 23, the governor of Florida announced his departure from the race in a video published on platform X (formerly Twitter).
DeSantis said that after the Iowa loss, he could not “ask our supporters to volunteer their time and resources if there is no clear path to victory.”
The 45-year-old Republican then endorsed Trump – who incessantly attacked and insulted DeSantis during the campaign – in the race for the White House.
“Trump is superior to the current president, Joe Biden, that is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican candidate, and I will fulfill that pledge. He has my support because we cannot go back to the Republican old guard of the past or the repackaged form of reheated corporatism that Nikki Haley represents,” he declared.
Nikki Haley's reaction
“Things are changing quickly,” Haley said when commenting on DeSantis’ withdrawal while campaigning in New Hampshire.
She said she has hope in the race because many Americans don't want another rematch between Trump and Biden and are looking for new, younger leadership.
“He [DeSantis] He ran a great campaign, he’s been a good governor and we wish him the best,” Haley told his supporters. “Now there are one man and one woman left.”
Like DeSantis, two other Republican opponents of Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, dropped out of the race and announced their support for the former president earlier this week.
Trump, who faces a slew of charges for activities related to rape, financial fraud, election finance fraud, election interference and insurrection, has maintained a commanding lead since the start of the campaign.
ek (AP, Reuters, ots)
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