Nikki Haley refuses to endorse Trump saying he still needs to earn Republican votes as she officially suspends campaign
NIKKI Haley has officially announced she's suspending her presidential campaign as she refuses to endorse Donald Trump.
Haley confirmed the end of her bid on Wednesday morning during a press conference in her home state of .
is now poised to represent the during November's general election despite facing unprecedented obstacles that include criminal indictments in three different states.
Haley did not endorse Trump during Wednesday's speech but congratulated him and wished him well.
"In all likelihood, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee when our party convention meets in July. I congratulate him, and wish him well," Haley said.
"I have always been a conservative Republican and always supported the Republican nominee, but on this question, as she did on so many others, Margaret Thatcher provided good advice when she said, 'Never just follow the crowd. Always make up your own mind.'"
Haley sent a message to Trump saying he has to "earn the party's vote."
'GREATEST MOVEMENT IN HISTORY'
Minutes after announcing her campaign suspension, Trump criticized Haley and asked her supporters to join 'the greatest movement."
"Nikki Haley got trounced last night, in record setting fashion, despite the fact that Democrats, for reasons unknown, are allowed to vote in Vermont, and various other Republican Primaries," the former president wrote on Truth Social.
"Much of her money came from Radical Left Democrats, as did many of her voters, almost 50%, according to the polls.
"At this point, I hope she stays in the 'race' and fights it out until the end!"
Trump went on to thank the GOP, his supporters, and his family and sent a message to Haley's followers.
"[I] would like to invite all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation. Biden is the enemy, he is destroying our country. Make America Great Again!" he wrote in all caps.
ILL-FATED CAMPAIGN
Haley only won two primary contests during her ill-fated run for the nomination.
Trump beat her by almost 20 points in her home state of South Carolina on February 24.
But Haley handed Trump his first loss in Sunday's Washington DC contest, which prompted the tycoon to quip back that she was the queen of the so-called swamp.
Meanwhile, the brash tycoon lapped up his success in front of his adoring supporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump said his victory in the mammoth day of voting was conclusive.
He also used the address to take further swipes at Joe Biden.
America is hurtling down the track to its first presidential rematch since 1956.
Biden is storming to the Democratic Party's nomination but suffered a shock defeat in American Samoa.
Biden didn't address the loss directly, but he said voters are gearing up to fight back against Trump in a post on , formerly Twitter.
Trump said the US has taken a beating during Biden's term and claimed the world is laughing at America.
He claimed he would bring unity should he be elected in November.
Trump lost the popular vote in 2020 by more than four percentage points.
Trump boasts leads in the battleground states of Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina.
The Republican was defeated in all of the states except North Carolina in 2020.
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Biden's lead in Pennsylvania is less than one percentage point, per the surveys.
What is the Electoral College?
And why swing states are important.
- The Electoral College is the body of 538 electors divided among the states who select the next president of the United States
- To become president, a candidate must win a majority of 270 electoral votes
- Every state is assigned one elector for each of its representatives in the House, plus an additional two reflecting the state's senators
- In most cases, a presidential candidate will be awarded all the electors in a state if they win the state's popular vote. Electors who vote against the state's popular vote winner are called faithless electors
- Many states will be virtual shoe-ins for the Democratic candidate (such as New York and California) or the Republican candidate (such as Texas and Missouri), while a minority are genuinely up for grabs by either candidate
- These states, known as purple or swing states, are the main targets for presidential candidates
- The parties' candidates are chosen in primary elections throughout the first half of the election year, including Super Tuesday, and officially nominated at party conventions in the summer