By Takuya Karube,
Nikki Haley, Donald Trump's last Republican rival for nomination for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, said Wednesday she will bow out of the race, setting the stage for a November rematch between the former president and his Democratic successor Joe Biden.
Haley made the announcement in her home state of South Carolina, a day after she was trounced by Trump on what is known as Super Tuesday, with a third of all delegates for the party's nomination at stake.
Haley, a former South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador under Trump, congratulated the 77-year-old former president on his status as the party's presumptive nominee, but stopped short of endorsing him.
"I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done that. I have no regrets," she said in a speech thanking her supporters. "Although I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in."
Haley reiterated her campaign talking points, warning of divisions in U.S. politics and society, and asserted that further crises will erupt if the country does not stand by its allies such as Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
She also underscored it is now up to Trump to "earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him."
"At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away," she said. "Our conservative cause badly needs more people. This is now his time for choosing."
She was crushed by Trump in 14 Super Tuesday contests, eking out her only win in the small, liberal-leaning state of Vermont.
Her departure from the race will finally allow Trump to zero in on his third consecutive general election, to be held on Nov. 5. According to primary results and polls, however, he is struggling to get his message across to moderates and independents, many of whom live in suburban areas and are relatively affluent college-educated voters.
Trump and Biden quickly called on Haley's supporters to join their campaigns.
After deriding Haley in a social media post, Trump invited her supporters to be part of "the greatest movement in the history of our Nation. BIDEN IS THE ENEMY, HE IS DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"
Biden, meanwhile, voiced respect for her "courage" in a statement, saying that "Donald Trump made it clear he doesn't want Nikki Haley's supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign."
"I know there is a lot we won't agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America's adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground," he said.
In addition to Vermont, Haley defeated Trump in the U.S. capital on Sunday, not only winning a nomination race for the first time but also becoming the first woman in U.S. history to win a Republican primary.
Haley, 52, continued to make the case that the United States needs a younger leader than Trump or the 81-year-old Biden. But she could not slow Trump's momentum, even though polling shows a majority of voters want an option other than the two men.
Despite the 91 criminal charges against Trump, including for efforts to undo his loss in the 2020 election that led to a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters, the former president leads the incumbent in head-to-head races in some national polls and key battleground states.
Trump is now leading Biden by 2.2 percentage points in a hypothetical 2024 rematch, according to an average of national polling data by Real Clear Politics.
In a separate social media post on Wednesday, Trump, who refused to participate in any of the debates that took place among his Republican primary rivals, said he would debate Biden "ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE!" and asked for the president's response.
Biden, the oldest U.S. president ever elected, is all but certain to become the Democratic presidential nominee at the party's convention in August.
Still, Biden faces tepid approval ratings amid persisting worries over his age.
In late February, his doctor said an annual physical examination found no new concerns, describing the president as a "healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male."
Biden is set to deliver the State of the Union speech on Thursday, hoping to build voter support for a second term.
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