Damner for Nikki Haley
Former candidate Scott supports Trump
January 20, 2024, 5:34 a.m
Tim Scott dropped out of the Republican primary race before it really got started. Before the second primary election, he got involved again and called for the election of Donald Trump. The timing is bad for Nikki Haley.
In the Republican presidential race, former US President Donald Trump received the support of eliminated candidate Tim Scott. The senator appeared at a Trump campaign rally in New Hampshire on Friday evening and said he came “to support the next president of the United States.”
“We need a president who will close our southern border today. We need Donald Trump,” said Scott, who withdrew from the race for the White House in November due to poor poll numbers. “We need a president who will unite our country. We need Donald Trump.”
The second primary election will take place on Tuesday in New Hampshire in the northeastern United States. Trump clearly won the first round in Iowa last Monday.
The support of the only black Republican senator is a win for Trump in his party’s primary race. At the same time, it is a bitter setback for Trump rival Nikki Haley – especially since Scott, like her, comes from the state of South Carolina.
The timing of Scott’s support for Trump is also inconvenient for the former US ambassador to the United Nations: Haley has high hopes for the New Hampshire primary. Voters registered as independents are also allowed to take part in the Republican primaries. That should suit Haley, who is considered a comparatively moderate Republican – especially compared to Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who came second in Iowa.
Polls see Haley in New Hampshire, according to one from the statistics website Fivethirtyeight calculated average at around 34 percent. Trump gets 49 percent and DeSantis only five percent. Scott’s support could give Trump a further boost.