Nikki Haley on Wednesday suspended her United States presidential campaign for the Republican nomination after Donald Trump won the Super Tuesday.
But she said former President Trump must bring her supporters into his fold.
The former South Carolina governor, who became Trump’s UN ambassador and the first prominent woman of colour to seek the Republican nomination for president, declined to immediately endorse Trump as his other Republican rivals did. Instead she challenged the former president to earn the support of her voters.
“The time has now come to suspend my campaign,” Haley said, announcing her decision in a short speech in Charleston, South Carolina.
“I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done that. I have no regrets.”
Among Trump’s prominent primary rivals, Haley was the last candidate; so her withdrawal ensures that Trump will capture the Republican nomination.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has applauded Nikki Haley for being “willing to speak the truth” about Donald Trump “where so few dare” in the Republican Party.
In a statement, Biden said it “takes a lot of courage to run for president”, and noted that Haley spoke about “the chaos that always follows [Trump], about the inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin.” The statement continues:
Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign.
I know there is a lot we won’t agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to American’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground.
