Trump and Haley Take Center Stage in Republican Primaries as DeSantis Steps Down

The Republican presidential primary has narrowed to a one-on-one race between former President Donald Trump and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on the 21st (local time) that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsing front-runner Donald Trump.

“I am suspending my campaign today,” Governor DeSantis wrote in a video posted on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), adding, “It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance.” He continued, “Trump is superior to the incumbent Joe Biden.”

Governor DeSantis, known as ‘Little Trump’ for his far-right stance, has seen a continuous decline in his approval ratings. He fought hard in the Iowa Caucus on the 15th, but finished in second place, trailing Trump by 30 points, and had a close race with Haley.

With DeSantis’s withdrawal, the anti-Trump forces are expected to rally around Haley. Haley received cheers at an event in New Hampshire where she announced DeSantis’s withdrawal. She said, “I will only say this now. May the best woman win.”

However, foreign media have reported that DeSantis’s drop could boost Trump. Various polls show that about two-thirds of DeSantis’s supporters named Trump as their second choice. Particularly, DeSantis’s far-right supporters are more likely to support Trump over the relatively moderate Haley.

Reuters reported, “If Haley fails to perform well in the primary in her home state of South Carolina, she will face immediate pressure to withdraw.”

By. Ju Hye Yoon