Donald Trump moved closer to a fiery rematch with President Joe Biden in November on Wednesday, as his final Republican competitor, Nikki Haley, threw up the towel following a crushing defeat in the “Super Tuesday” primaries.
Former UN ambassador Haley refused to endorse Trump, describing him as chaotic and mentally ill, saying he would have to win the support of moderates who supported her longshot campaign.
Her resignation leaves America with a race for the White House between two elderly men that many voters say they do not want, with Trump ignoring many criminal indictments and the crisis surrounding his attempt to subvert the 2020 election in his quest of a comeback.
“We must turn away from the darkness of hatred and division,” declared Haley, 52, in Charleston, her native state of South Carolina.
She stated only, “I wish him well” as he pursues re-election to the world’s most powerful position.
She also decried the United States’ “retreat” on global issues, notably Ukraine, where Trump and his hard-right Republican supporters have blocked aid for Kyiv’s defense against the Russian invasion.
Biden, meantime, won his Democratic “Super Tuesday” primary, but he must now prepare for Thursday’s State of the Union address, a watershed moment as the unpopular 81-year-old tries to soothe voter fears about his age, the economy, and the Gaza war.
Both men quickly made their plea to Haley’s base of mostly affluent, moderate Republican voters.
After claiming to have “TROUNCED” Haley, Trump asked them to “join the greatest movement in the history of our nation.” Biden praised her guts for revealing the “truth about Trump” and stated that her followers would have a place in his campaign.
‘So conclusive’
This year’s Super Tuesday lacked suspense because Biden and Trump had already won their parties’ selections.
Former President Trump, 77, won 14 of the 15 states up for grabs on the largest day of the 2024 contest so far, with Haley denying him just in Vermont.
“They call it ‘Super Tuesday’ for a reason,” Trump told jubilant supporters at his Mar-a-Lago beach resort in Florida. “They tell me, the pundits and otherwise, that there has never been one like this, never been anything so conclusive.”
Trump has a profile unlike any other US presidential candidate in history, having been impeached twice, losing by seven million votes in 2020, and facing 91 felony charges in four trials.
Nonetheless, his appeal to working-class, rural, and white voters on topics including as immigration and the economy has catapulted him to the nomination in one of the most lopsided primary seasons ever witnessed.
“This means the campaign will continue to be Trump’s tour of personal grievance,” Todd Belt, a politics professor at George Washington University, told the AFP.
He also secured the support of Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had previously disagreed with Trump over his unfounded claims to have won the 2020 election.
Warning signs
Meanwhile, Biden raced to unambiguous victories—minus a loss in small Pacific Ocean territory American Samoa—and warned that Trump was “determined to destroy” US democracy.
Biden is now likely to use his State of the Union address in less than 48 hours to portray the election as a stark choice between himself and an existential threat to the country.
While the race is a repeat, current polls show Trump with a slight advantage, unlike four years ago when Biden was well ahead of the vote.
A protest vote over Biden’s backing for Israel’s offensive on Gaza has also produced warning flags, with some voters in Minnesota and other states writing “uncommitted” on their ballots.
Despite his dominating Super Tuesday victory, Trump is also facing red lights, with signals that traditional voters in critical swing states may be turned off by the upheaval and scandal surrounding him.
Stephanie Perini-Hegarty voted for Biden in Quincy, Massachusetts.
“I think we need a leader who is not involved in any corruption, and who is going to look out for the best interests of the people,” the 55-year-old told AFP.