US ELECTION— Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on Sunday that he is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.
He stated that he would now be supporting frontrunner Donald Trump. DeSantis made this announcement in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He explained that after coming in second place in the Iowa caucuses last week, he did not want to ask his supporters to continue volunteering and donating resources if there was no clear path to victory. Therefore, he has decided to suspend his campaign.
The decision comes just two days before the New Hampshire primary, where polls indicate that DeSantis is significantly behind former President Trump and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” DeSantis said in the video, noting that he has had differences with the former president, notably over the coronavirus pandemic.
“He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear or a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”
Last Tuesday, Trump, who is 77 years old, won the Iowa election with 51% of Republican voters supporting him. In comparison, DeSantis received only 21% and Haley received 19%.
It has been observed that no candidate has ever lost the race after winning the first two states. Therefore, if Trump wins in New Hampshire, it is highly likely that he will secure the Republican nomination.
While Haley had previously avoided criticizing Trump’s numerous controversies during his campaign, she recently started questioning his mental abilities. She drew comparisons between the former president and the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent, Joe Biden.
