With another primary victory in his pocket, more heavy hitters in the Republican Party are joining Donald Trump and calling for unity to take on Joe Biden in November.
On Saturday evening in South Carolina, one of the biggest names in sports joined the former president on stage. Woody Johnson, the billionaire owner of the New York Jets, took the stage in front of an enthusiastic crowd and let it rip.
Fox News writes:
Johnson, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom during the Trump administration, was on stage alongside his wife Suzanne behind Trump as the former president delivered a speech after his quick victory in the Palmetto State primary on Saturday.
Johnson, a member of the founding family of Johnson & Johnson, has previously expressed support for the former president during the 2024 campaign.
“Americans remember how good it was or how much better it was on the border, and inflation, and gas prices, and grocery prices, all that, during the Trump administration, and they want to get back there,” Johnson told News’ Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo earlier this month.
“So I think the most important thing is getting the former president back in the White House, which looks like it’s happening.”
The results of the primary do have some conservatives concerned, however. Once again, Donald Trump did worse than polling suggested and once again he struggled against Haley in the suburbs, a crucial element in his victory over Hillary Clinton and loss to Joe Biden.
Nikki Haley winning and Trump losing Beaufort, Richland, and Charleston is a bright red klaxon for the GOP. https://t.co/pdQcs5JY6z
— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) February 25, 2024
The Guardian noted that “Nikki Haley will travel to Michigan on Sunday after suffering a decisive loss in her home state of South Carolina, marking her fourth straight defeat in the Republican presidential primary. Donald Trump continued his undefeated streak with a double-digit win in South Carolina, further cementing his hold on the Republican party and raising more questions about Haley’s decision to remain in the primary.
As she addressed supporters at an election night party in Charleston on Saturday, Haley deftly framed her candidacy as a moral imperative for the many voters who express dissatisfaction with a potential rematch between Trump and Joe Biden in November.
‘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,’ Haley said. ‘In the next 10 days, another 21 states and territories will speak. They have the right to a real choice, not a Soviet-style election with only one candidate. And I have a duty to give them that choice.’”
Some have suggested that Haley’s move is more about 2028 than 2024, where she will likely take on Ron DeSantis, Brian Kemp, Glenn Youngkin, and, if Trump does win a second term, the sitting vice president–whomever Trump picks as a running mate.
