The ultra-favorite of the American right, Donald Trump, and his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley face off on Tuesday night during the Republican primary in New Hampshire, a vote that is likely to decide the rest of the race for the White House among conservatives.
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Tuesday: “Get up and go vote!” demanded the ex-president on Monday evening during a campaign event in Laconia, this northeastern state. “Catch your neighbor, catch everyone, we have to go because we have to win by a big margin,” he added.
Mr. Trump is nearly 20 points ahead of Nikki Haley in the polls for this second primary.
“Now we're down to two people and I think one of them probably won't be here tomorrow,” he predicted to a small, raucous crowd, reiterating that “the time has come to rally for the Republican Party. “
The withdrawal this weekend of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once considered Donald Trump's main right-wing rival before his campaign collapsed, once again brought the top trio into a duel. But the fight is very unequal.
Mr. Trump, supported by a solid base of ardent supporters, has already won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15 by a wide margin, well ahead of Ron DeSantis (second) and Nikki Haley (third). Should he crush his rival in the New Hampshire election, it would be extremely difficult for the former South Carolina governor to recover.
The path for 77-year-old Donald Trump to his official nomination as the Republican candidate against Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election in November could then be completely clear.
But if Nikki Haley, 52, manages to narrow the gap significantly or even manages to pull off a miraculous victory in this state with a significant share of independents, she would be well positioned for the next election at the end of February in her state of Carolina . from the south.
- Listen to the American political column with Professor Luc Laliberté about QUB :
It's not a victory
Patricia Ferrante, a 68-year-old retiree from Hudson, New Hampshire, says she “doesn't particularly like” Nikki Haley and predicts a “big win” for Mr. Trump on Tuesday night.
Ms Haley “seems to be on the side of the people who have money, the people who look down on others,” she told AFP.
While the pensioner has the impression that Donald Trump “is on our side, the workers,” she says. “He does not despise us.”
While waiting for the vote, Donald Trump bragged on his network Truth Social about his lead in the polls and brought up the nickname he gives Nikki Haley: “Sparrow Brain.”
This weekend he also said, “She wasn’t tough enough.” […]not smart enough […]not respected enough.
Even though Donald Trump continued to bully him, Ron DeSantis urged people to vote for him.
“It is clear to me that the majority of Republican voters in the primaries want to give Donald Trump another chance,” he said, throwing in the towel on Sunday.
Nikki Haley, for her part, has to perform a balancing act: criticize Donald Trump without angering the Trumpists.
She particularly challenged his cognitive abilities after he confused her with former Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a speech.
Donald Trump is “simply not at the same level as in 2016,” she attacked on CBS, judging that the former president was “down” and at risk of causing “chaos.”
A shame for Mr Trump, who never stops making fun of Joe Biden, his age (81) and his mistakes, even mimicking his sometimes hesitant approach at his campaign rallies.
New Hampshire represents only 22 delegates. To be officially named, the Republican winner must reach 1,215.
But compared to more conservative states, there is a better indication of possible national electoral success and subsequent primaries. Independent voters are eligible to vote in both the Republican and Democratic party primaries without being affiliated with them.
Donald Trump, who has been indicted on several counts including attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, will have to spend the next few months between courts and sessions. He was scheduled to attend a hearing in his defamation trial in New York on Monday, but the hearing was postponed.