In yet another decisive presidential primary victory by former President Donald Trump, Saturday’s election in South Carolina was called for the front-runner within minutes of the polls closing.
Trump’s commanding lead over long-shot rival Nikki Haley was particularly notable in this race due to the fact that Haley lives in South Carolina and even served as its governor.
Her latest resounding defeat prompted a large number of pundits to insist that the time has come for her to drop out of the race.
BREAKING: Donald Trump wins the South Carolina Republican primary against Nikki Haley in her home state.
Time for Nikki to drop out.pic.twitter.com/FYVRRX0gQX
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 25, 2024
Haley has repeatedly rebuffed such calls in the past, however, and continued to do so in the aftermath of her South Carolina loss. In a speech shortly after the race was called for Trump, she delivered a speech in which she portrayed herself as the candidate America needs to move past the current chapter of America’s history.
“What I saw was South Carolina’s frustration with our country’s direction,” she claimed. “I couldn’t be more worried about America.”
Highlighting the perceived stakes of the upcoming general election, Haley added: “America will come apart if we make the wrong choices. We need to beat Joe Biden in November.”
Her remarks concluded with a reiteration of her prior vow to remain in the fight beyond Saturday’s primary.
“There are huge numbers of voters in our Republican primaries that want an alternative,” she asserted. “I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina I would continue to run for president. I’m a woman of my word, and so I will keep fighting for them and for you — all of America.”
Of course, Trump also delivered a speech on Saturday, representing himself as the best candidate to lead the nation for the next four years. His case was objectively easier to make due to the widespread support he has continued to maintain among GOP leaders and voters.
Without mentioning Haley during his remarks, Trump celebrated the decisive win and laid out some key details of his platform before honing in on his belief that he will secure a second term in the White House later this year.
“We’re going to say, ‘Joe, you’re fired,’” Trump said of President Joe Biden. “‘Get out, Joe. You’re fired.’”
