Florida governor Ron DeSantis suspends his presidential campaign
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has announced he is pulling out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination and endorsing former president Donald Trump.
The candidate cancelled his Sunday media appearances ahead of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, leading to speculation about the future of his campaign.
That proved justified when Mr DeSantis later posted a video statement on X in which he said: “Following our second place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on the way forward. If there was anything I could do to produce a favourable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it.”
He continued: “I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”
Mr DeSantis came in second in the Iowa Caucus but several polls had placed the him trailing in third place behind Mr Trump and Nikki Haley in New Hampshire.
If he had received less than 10 per cent of the vote on Tuesday — as recent polls from CNN and Suffolk University suggested could happen — he would have been ineligible to receive any delegates from the state.
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Trump claims World Wars fought in America as cognitive decline concerns grow
Campaigning in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Sunday evening, the Republican front-runner offered this frankly very confused account of the First and Second World Wars, adding to the growing concerns about his mental health and exhausting schedule after a string of high-profile gaffes, including blaming Nikki Haley for the Capitol riot on Friday.
He offered another pretty boggling history lesson on Saturday when he cited the bombing of Hiroshima as justification for his call for absolute presidential immunity.
Trump, of course, insists he is quite well and has “aced” every acuity test going.
Here’s Katie Hawkinson on a matter of growing concern.
Joe Sommerlad22 January 2024 12:00
Recap: DeSantis drops out of Republican race and endorses Trump
The big political news of the weekend was the Florida governor dropping out of the race for the GOP nomination and endorsing Trump.
The nominee-presumptive himself has been reasonably gracious about it so far, telling his supporters he is “officially” retiring the “Ron DeSanctimonious” nickname after a year of abusing his rival.
Others have been less kind, however, with plenty of ridicule washing around online.
Clips of DeSantis’s own complaints about Republicans “kissing the ring”, California governor Gavin Newsom predicting his inevitable U-turn and fellow Floridian Matt Gaetz calling him “Diet Trump” have all been widely circulated while others remembered his disastrous Twitter Spaces launch with Elon Musk, his heeled cowboy boots and chocolate pudding fingers.
Here’s Katie Hawkinson and Namita Singh with more on his exit.
Joe Sommerlad22 January 2024 11:00
Donald Trump celebrates Ron Desantis’ decision to end presidential campaign
Donald Trump has celebrated one-time Republican rival Ron DeSantis as his newest supporter after the Florida governor ended his presidential campaign and endorsed the former president.
For Mr Trump, it has become a familiar ritual to welcome the backing of someone who once tried to take him on.
Nonetheless, it was notable at Sunday’s rally in New Hampshire to see Mr Trump praise Mr DeSantis without calling him “DeSantimonious” or “DeSanctus”, putting an end to perhaps the most bitter rivalry of Republicans’ 2024 campaign.
“I just want to thank Ron and congratulate him on doing a very good job,” Mr Trump said at the outset of his remarks.
“He was very gracious, and he endorsed me. I appreciate that, and I also look forward to working with Ron.”
Mr Trump described Mr DeSantis as “a really terrific person”.
Earlier in the day, Mr DeSantis said via video that he would be ending his campaign two days before New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation Republican primary.
Namita Singh22 January 2024 10:00
ICYMI: Watch as Nikki Haley reacts to Ron DeSantis dropping out of race
Nikki Haley reacts to Ron DeSantis quitting presidential race
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2024 09:00
‘It’s not easy’: A reluctant Trump endorsement from DeSantis
Ron DeSantis on Sunday reluctantly endorsed Donald Trump in the presidential race.
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” Mr DeSantis said, offering matter-of-fact analysis through a forced smile without adding plaudits for Mr Trump.
“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honour that pledge,” he continued, before adding a dig at the remaining contender, Nikki Haley.
Mr DeSantis described the former UN ambassador and one-time South Carolina governor as a stand-in for “the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism”.
Mr Trump seemed unbothered by Mr DeSantis’ approach, striking a tone of camaraderie as fellow political combatants.
“I will tell you it’s not easy,” Mr Trump said on Sunday night in Rochester.
“They think it’s easy doing this stuff, right? It’s not easy.”
Namita Singh22 January 2024 08:00
ICYMI: California Governor Gavin Newsom mocks Ron DeSantis’ campaign suspension
“Fire sale on all Ron DeSantis merch today!” the Democratic West Coast governor said in a post to X shortly after Mr DeSantis announced the end of his campaign.
The political rivals faced off in a December debate, despite Mr Newsom not currently running for president.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2024 07:00
‘Wounded falling bird from sky’: Slide in relationship between Trump and DeSantis
Former president Donald Trump seemed to revel in skewering Ron DeSantis throughout the campaign, often making clear it was a personal grudge because he considered the governor’s decision to run in the first place an act of disloyalty.
Mr Trump endorsed Mr DeSantis, then a congressman, in a competitive 2018 Republican primary for Florida governor.
Mr DeSantis went on to win the nomination and the general election. By the time Mr DeSantis won a landslide re-election four years later, though, he was positioning himself for his own White House campaign.
As recently as November, Mr Trump came to Florida and addressed a boisterous crowd at a state Republican meeting standing in front of a sign that read: “Florida is Trump Country.”
That evening, Mr Trump did not mention Mr DeSantis until more than 30 minutes into his speech. Even then, it was to brag about polls showing his advantages over the governor.
“I endorsed him, and he became a rocket ship in 24 hours,” Mr Trump said, claiming that Mr DeSantis had begged for his endorsement.
“Now he’s like a wounded falling bird from the sky.”
Mr Trump never did debate Mr DeSantis or any other 2024 rival. He has said he would not until one proves they are a legitimate threat to him winning the nomination.
Mr DeSantis concentrated his campaign in recent months in Iowa, where he finished in second place in last week’s caucuses – 30 percentage points behind Mr Trump and barely ahead of Ms Haley.
Ms Haley, meanwhile, has long prioritised New Hampshire as a potential springboard ahead of her home-state South Carolina primary next month.
Namita Singh22 January 2024 06:00
ICYMI: DeSantis endorsed Trump after dropping out of race
After announcing the end of his presidential bid, the Florida governor announced his endorsement for the former President.
“It’s clear to me a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” Mr DeSantis said.
Ron DeSantis ends presidential campaign and endorses Donald Trump
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2024 05:01
ICYMI: New Hampshire polls showed DeSantis trailing in third place with single digits just before he dropped out of race
Before presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday, polls had him in third place significantly behind Nikki Haley.
Mr Trump was polled at 50 per cent in Tuesday’s primary, with Ms Haley in second place at 39 per cent and Mr DeSantis at 6 per cent, according to a CNN poll released on Sunday.
Katie Hawkinson22 January 2024 04:01
‘It’s not easy’: A reluctant Trump endorsement from DeSantis
Ron DeSantis on Sunday reluctantly endorsed Donald Trump in the presidential race.
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” Mr DeSantis said, offering matter-of-fact analysis through a forced smile without adding plaudits for Mr Trump.
“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honour that pledge,” he continued, before adding a dig at the remaining contender, Nikki Haley. Mr DeSantis described the former UN ambassador and one-time South Carolina governor as a stand-in for “the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism”.
Mr Trump seemed unbothered by Mr DeSantis’ approach, striking a tone of camaraderie as fellow political combatants.
“I will tell you it’s not easy,” Mr Trump said on Sunday night in Rochester.
“They think it’s easy doing this stuff, right? It’s not easy.”
Namita Singh22 January 2024 03:24