Nikki Haley failed to secure a victory after the Super Tuesday contests that took place across several states in the United States, including California, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Colorado, Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Vermont, leading to her suspension of the campaign, a decision that Florida Governor DeSantis found unsurprising.
Following Super Tuesday, DeSantis criticized Nikki Haley, his former competitor for the Republican presidential nomination, over her reluctance to endorse the party’s presumptive nominee, former president Donald Trump.
In an interview on Newsmax’s “The Balance,” DeSantis shared his thoughts on Haley’s campaign and the broader implications of her defeat and subsequent suspension of her campaign. DeSantis didn’t mince words, describing Haley’s loss as “to be expected,” given her unconventional strategy. He pointed out, “she had waged a campaign on the idea that you can somehow win the Republican nomination for president by getting the votes of mostly just non-Republicans, and that just doesn’t work.”
The discussion then shifted to Haley’s hesitation to endorse Trump, despite her previous commitment during the Republican presidential debates to support the party’s eventual nominee. DeSantis, who had also pledged his support and followed through by endorsing Trump upon his own exit from the race, emphasized the importance of standing by one’s word. “I signed the pledge and you sign the pledge saying that you’re gonna not take your ball and go home,” he said, highlighting the expectation for unity within the party. DeSantis’s comments reflect a broader discourse on loyalty and solidarity among Republicans, especially in the face of a potential rematch with President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
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Haley, on her part, has taken a different approach than DeSantis post-campaign. While she acknowledged Trump’s probable nomination, she emphasized that it was his responsibility to garner the support of those within the party who were hesitant or outright opposed to his candidacy. Her statements during a campaign suspension speech and subsequent interviews highlighted her stance: “It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that.”
Her comments in an NBC News interview further highlighted her stance, pointing out the conditional nature of the Republican National Committee pledge and her philosophical alignment with the advice of Margaret Thatcher: “Never just follow the crowd, always make up your own mind.” “I think I’ll make what decision I make,” Haley added.
