In a spirited victory speech, Donald Trump directed his criticism towards opponent Nikki Haley, who had declared her intention to persist with her South Carolina campaign despite her defeat to Trump in New Hampshire. Although Haley extended congratulations to the former President for his win, she firmly stated that dropping out of the race was not a part of her plans at the moment. However, Trump seems to be solidifying his position as the probable Republican presidential nominee . Speaking to his supporters in Nashua, Trump celebrated his victory with an assertive speech that featured pointed critiques of Haley, as per The Guardian ‘s report.
Beating Haley, who briefly posed a challenge to the former President, has made many voters and experts feel that Trump is on a clear and unobstructed path to securing the GOP nomination . His victory in New Hampshire followed his comfortable win in the Iowa caucuses just last week, solidifying his standing in the race.
Donald Trump, who still refuses to concede the 2020 election, complains about Nikki Haley’s speech after her loss tonight in New Hampshire: “She’s doing a speech like she won. She didn’t win. She lost…Let’s not have someone take a victory when she had a very bad night.” pic.twitter.com/O6eHuKmWAL
— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) January 24, 2024
Hence, when speaking to his supporters in Nashua, Trump further emphasized his momentum in the political landscape. Trump said, “She had a very bad night. She came in third [in Iowa], and she’s still hanging around.” On the other hand, Haley also gave a speech where she said, “New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go, and the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina.”
In New Hampshire, Haley emerged as Trump’s primary rival after Ron DeSantis exited the race on Sunday. While addressing his supporters, Trump mocked Haley’s attempts to diminish the significance of her defeat in the state. He said, “Let’s not have somebody take a victory when she had a very bad night.” Trump’s team mocked Haley for remaining in the race after two clear losses, with one of the former president’s strategists calling her ‘delusional.’ Despite the criticism, Haley remained steadfast in her campaign message, asserting that Trump was unfit to lead the Republican party toward a more promising future.
She was alluding to the many legal challenges faced by the former President. Trump is currently battling a total of 91 felony charges spread across four criminal cases, with a significant portion of the past week spent in court for a defamation lawsuit . Despite these legal hurdles, the outcome in New Hampshire strongly suggests that Trump could be the one to secure his party’s presidential nomination for the third consecutive election and is likely to go head-to-head with Joe Biden in November. Following Trump’s victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, an increasing number of Republican lawmakers are throwing their support behind him.
Donald Trump’s only strategy is to lie about me and my record. That’s not going to work in South Carolina. The people of South Carolina know that I cut their taxes, passed one of the toughest immigration bills in the country, and moved thousands from welfare to work. #LetsGo pic.twitter.com/OqhguleBd0
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) January 24, 2024
Meanwhile, Trump and his campaign are urging Haley to exit the race, asserting that she lacks a viable path to the nomination following Trump’s victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, according to Politico . At Trump’s victory celebration, former presidential candidate Tim Scott urged Republicans to unite. In a playful remark, Trump, referring to Scott’s endorsement, quipped that it must mean Scott dislikes Haley, given that he was appointed to the Senate by her. To this, Scott replied, “I just love you.” Trump added, “We are going to win this. We have no choice. If we don’t win, I think our country is finished.”