Nikki Haley's campaign questioned the anger in Donald Trump's victory speech, which contained more attacks on his rival than acknowledgment of his victory in the New Hampshire primary.
With more than 80 percent of the vote, Trump was only about 11 points ahead of Haley – 54 to 43 – while polls predicted the former president would be ahead by a larger margin.
At his election night rally, Trump attacked his only remaining primary rival as a “fraud” and claimed, “We beat her so badly.”
“This is not a typical victory speech, but let's not let someone take the win if they had a very bad night,” Trump said, visibly upset by the concession speech Haley had given moments earlier.
“She had a very bad night,” the former president said of Haley.
Haley's communications director Nachama Soloveichik responded: “Two states have now voted in the presidential race, and Donald Trump barely received half the votes – not exactly a clear endorsement for a former president demanding a coronation.”
Nikki Haley's campaign questioned why Donald Trump was “so angry” in his New Hampshire primary victory speech on Tuesday night. The comments contained more attacks against Haley than praise for his win
President Donald Trump used his remarks at his late-night primary victory celebration to rail against Haley for remaining in the presidential race
“His angry rant was full of grievances and conveyed nothing to the American people about his vision for our country's future,” she added in the statement. “That’s why so many voters want to leave Trump’s chaos behind them and join Nikki Haley’s new generation of conservative leadership.”
The statement came after Haley defiantly refused to drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday. She claimed the fight was “far from over” while congratulating Trump on his “deserved” victory.
Trump walked away with a commanding victory in the Iowa caucuses last week, where he won 51 percent of the vote. Haley placed third in Iowa with 19.1 percent.
The former UN ambassador had bet that he would do better in New Hampshire – but failed again.
Instead of taking a victory lap, Haley Trump quickly conceded as early predictions came in and said she was looking forward to next month's primary in her home state of South Carolina.
“I want to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory — he deserved it, and I want to acknowledge that,” Haley, 52, told her supporters at her election night rally in Concord, New Hampshire.
“You've all heard the talk in the political class.” They're falling over themselves and saying this race is over. It's not over!' she announced.
With a third of the votes counted, Trump was ahead of Haley 53 percent to 45 percent.
Disappointed Haley supporters in Concord, New Hampshire, react as primary election results emerged Tuesday night showing her behind Donald Trump
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley lost her primary election in a four-way race with Donald Trump in New Hampshire on Tuesday – but refused to end her campaign
What had been a three-person contest until the weekend turned into a two-way fight for the Republican nomination after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday.
Now Haley and Trump are the only two vying for the Republican nomination in the 2024 general election.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has essentially secured the Democratic nomination with no serious contenders. He even won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire on Tuesday despite not being on the ballot.
Haley, who is decades younger than Trump and Biden, claims that the party that first “withdraws its 80-year-old candidate” will win the 2024 election.
“New Hampshire is first in the country – it is not last in the country.” This race is far from over. “There are dozens of states left to give,” Haley said in her concession speech, adding, “The next one is my sweet state of South Carolina.”
With her two children Rena, 26, and Nalin, 22, in the audience, Haley previewed that she is now heading back to South Carolina – where she hopes to finally score a win in her home state.
However, the Palmetto State is holding its fourth primary contest after the Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada primaries. It's clear from her comments Tuesday that Haley wants to largely ignore Nevada, where she's in the primary and can't win delegates from the state.
Haley doesn't appear to be doing much better in the South Carolina primary, where she trails Trump by 30 points, 52 percent to 21.8 percent, according to a RealClearPolitics poll average.
Trump's victory in New Hampshire proves that the former president still has a firm grip on Republicans, even in a state with more moderate Republicans.
Many Democratic voters in New Hampshire told that they had switched their registration to undecided so they could cast their ballot for Haley in the Republican primary, hoping to thwart Trump's lead.
Polls just days before the Jan. 23 primary, when DeSantis was still under consideration, placed Haley in a solid second place — but still about 20 percentage points behind Trump.
In the month before the primary, Haley came within a narrow margin of beating Trump. A January 12-15 poll showed Haley and Trump even dead at 40 percent each.
Haley hands the New Hampshire primary to Donald Trump while her children Nalin, 22, and Rena, 26, are on stage
Haley's daughter Rena and her husband Joshua stand alongside the 2024 candidates at their election night rally in Concord, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, January 23
On Tuesday evening, Haley again questioned the question of age and therefore suitability for the office.
The 52-year-old brought up Trump's recent gaffe when he mistook Haley for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a rally in New Hampshire. She also reiterated her call for mental competency tests for politicians over 75, a qualification that both Trump and Biden meet.
“Most Americans don’t want a rematch between Biden and Trump,” she said in her concession speech Tuesday in Concord.
“The first party to withdraw its 80-year-old candidate will win this election,” she added. “I say it should be the Republicans!”
Haley said that if Trump thinks he is mentally fit, there should be “no problem getting on a debate stage” to face off in the close primary race.
Trump has so far refused to take part in any primary debates – but Haley is hoping to entice him now that the field is down to just them.
In a New Hampshire Republican primary poll released Sunday before the primary, Nikki Haley trailed Donald Trump by 19% – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was included in the poll because he had not yet dropped out
Haley captured New Hampshire after leaving Iowa on January 15 with 19.1 percent of the vote. It held an average of three official events each day, as well as intimate living room political stops in restaurants, pubs and markets.
Since the Iowa election, Trump has held a rally in various New Hampshire cities every day except Thursday. He also made off-record stops in the nation's first primary state, such as at his campaign headquarters.
As voters emerged from the polls on Tuesday in the blue city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, May told that they had cast their ballot for Haley – while others wrote on behalf of President Joe Biden.
Only one voter said they voted for Trump, claiming that Haley had “no chance.”