Nikki Haley refuses to quit. Facing a bloodbath in her own state, the former UN ambassador under Trump gave a speech last week i in which she promised only to drop out when “the American people close the door.”
Delivering what her team billed as a “state of the race speech,” a defiant Haley vowed to remain in the race even as she polls far behind Trump in upcoming primaries across the map. Without offering any electoral strategy for her path forward, Haley described her candidacy as a battle for something “bigger than myself,” wrote Politico.
“Haley unleashed a torrent of criticism against the former president, calling him a ‘bully’ who’s ‘getting meaner and more offensive by the day.’ She argued that Trump is ‘completely distracted’ from the campaign as he splits his time in courtrooms. She repeated her oft-used refrains that Trump has ‘gotten more unstable and unhinged.’ And the former U.N. ambassador painted Trump as weak on national security, bashing him for ‘inviting’ Russian President Vladimir Putin to ‘invade NATO countries.’”
In response, the former president more or less shrugged. The National Review discussed Trump’s pivot toward Biden.
He continues to act like the presumptive nominee, touting potential vice-presidential picks in interviews and calling on President Joe Biden to debate him, even though he declined to participate in any of the RNC-sponsored GOP primary debates.
“Nikki Haley’s campaign ends Saturday, February 24th, fittingly, in her home state, rejected by those who know her the best,” the Trump campaign wrote in a memo on Tuesday that predicted an “a**-kicking in the making” for Haley in South Carolina and said the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. has a “very serious math problem” when it comes to locking up delegates for the convention.
As Haley continues to dig in her heels, Trump’s team is coasting to the July convention with a lock on the GOP establishment. He’s won endorsements from most of his former GOP presidential primary rivals. Dozens of Republican lawmakers are co-hosting a Washington, D.C., fundraiser for Trump in early March. And before he’s formally secured the nomination, the former president’s 2024 campaign is already planning to stack the Republican National Committee with Trump loyalists in a leadership shakeup that many RNC members suspect could take place as early as March.
Politically speaking, “it’s a very smart move for his campaign to pivot and go ahead and focus on the general,” says Aaron Evans, president of Winning Republican Strategies. “The faster we can get on the campaign trail, talking about the settled Biden record on crime, the economy, and foreign affairs — I think that really should be our full focus right now.”
On today's date in 2020, the RCP polling average was Biden +4.8
He went on to win by 4.5%.
Today the RCP polling average is Trump +1.9
Yes, many other factors to consider. Third parties. Indictments, debates. Massive Dem big-donor advantage
But just know where we're at. pic.twitter.com/2GlCdzfxG5
— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) February 22, 2024
As Trump appears to be taking control of the general election, the White House believes it may have one last chance to reset the race after the Department of Justice sent the Biden campaign staggering with a report on the president’s mental state.
They plan to put all their chips in on the upcoming State of the Union address in March.
“With the election less than a year away, the president and his team have become desperate to reverse course. One outlet noted that “Trump posted his largest lead against Biden, ahead by 4.3 points on Jan. 26, according to the RealClearPolitics (RCP) average. Biden hasn’t led Trump in the RCP average since September 2023.
At least 76% of American voters have concerns about Biden’s age and health going into the 2024 election, according to a Feb. 6 NBC poll. Fifty-four percent of Democrats are worried about Biden’s fitness for a second term,” New Conservative Post reported.
