Ron DeSantis is quitting his race for the White House. The Florida governor, once considered Donald Trump's main rival in his path to the Republican nomination, announced Sunday, Jan. 21, that he was throwing in the towel ahead of November's presidential election and throwing his support behind the billionaire. This withdrawal comes from former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and represents the final obstacle to the nomination of the ultra-favorite Donald Trump as his party's candidate.
“I’m pausing my campaign today,” Ron DeSantis said in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter). “It is clear to me that the majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance.” The former American president said he was “very honored” by the election of Florida governor. “I look forward to working with him to defeat Joe Biden, the worst president in the history of our country,” Donald Trump told Fox News.
Ron DeSantis, who has taken a tough stance on immigration and abortion, came in second place in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, January 15, well behind Donald Trump, with 21% of the vote versus 51% for the former president. His announcement comes two days before the primary election in New Hampshire, where polls show he is far behind.
“Trump is better than Joe Biden”
“I can’t ask our volunteers to give of their time and money if we don’t have a clear path to victory,” he reasoned in his video in front of American flags. “I had differences of opinion with Donald Trump, for example in the corona pandemic,” but “Trump is better than the current incumbent Joe Biden, that’s clear,” the 45-year-old added.
Nikki Haley came third in the state of Iowa (19% of the vote), but benefited from the support of many independent voters in New Hampshire. “Ron DeSantis is a good governor and I wish him well,” Nikki Haley, 52, responded in a statement. “So far only one state has voted. “Half of the votes went to Donald Trump, the other half didn’t,” she emphasized. “Voters deserve to have a say in whether we go back down the path of Trump and Biden.”