By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:00am PST, Mar 7, 2024
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Nikki Haley officially suspended her presidential campaign on Wednesday, March 6, following losses in every state but Vermont during the Super Tuesday primaries. Her exit clears the way for Donald Trump, already the GOP frontrunner, to clinch the 2024 Republican party nomination.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and a Trump-appointed United Nations ambassador, notably did not endorse Trump in her exit speech. She did, however, call on him to earn her supporters' backing, seemingly referring to his past claim her supporters would be "barred from the MAGA camp."
"The time has now come to suspend my campaign. I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard — I have done that. I have no regrets," Haley said in a speech Wednesday morning at her campaign headquarters in South Carolina, according to the Associated Press.
She went on to acknowledge Trump would likely become the GOP nominee. "I congratulate him and wish him well. I wish anyone well who would be America's president," Haley said.
"It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond who did not support him," she continued. "And I hope he does that. At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people. This is now his time for choosing."
Haley made history as the first woman to win a Republican primary with her victory in Washington, D.C., on March 3. Her supporters have largely been more moderate Republicans than Trump's, leading to questions about whether they'll stick with their party and vote for Trump or vote for President Joe Biden in November.
Keep reading to see how Trump, Biden, Mitch McConnell and others reacted to Haley's exit from the race …
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In his response to Nikki Haley's exit, President Biden invited her backers to support him, referencing Donald Trump's past assertion that Haley's supporters would be "permanently barred from the MAGA camp" were they to join her movement. ("We don't want them, and will not accept them," Trump wrote on Truth Social in January.)
"It takes a lot of courage to run for President – that's especially true in today's Republican Party, where so few dare to speak the truth about Donald Trump," Biden said in a statement. "Nikki Haley was willing to speak the truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin."
"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," Biden continued. "We all know this is no ordinary election. And the stakes for America couldn't be higher."
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Donald Trump lashed out at Haley in a lengthy and rambling post on Truth Social after she left the race on March 6: "Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion, despite the fact that Democrats, for reasons unknown, are allowed to vote in Vermont, and various other Republican Primaries," he wrote.
The former president was referring to states that hold open primaries, in which voters may vote for a candidate from any party. In closed primary states, voters may vote only for a candidate from the party with which they are registered. Primary laws vary from state to state.
"Much of her money came from Radical Left Democrats, as did many of her voters, almost 50%, according to the polls," Trump continued. "At this point, I hope she stays in the 'race' and fights it out until the end!"
He also claimed, incorrectly, that he'd had "by far, the most successful Super Tuesday in HISTORY," before adding that he'd "like to invite all of the Haley supporters to join the greatest movement in the history of our Nation" and calling Joe Biden "the enemy."
MORE: Trump, more politicians react to the Supreme Court's Colorado ballot decision
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"The GOP has chosen. They will nominate a man who attempted to overturn an election and seize power. We have eight months to save our republic and ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere near the Oval Office again. Join me in the fight for our nation's freedom." –Liz Cheney, a Republican, on X
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"Nikki Haley was the first candidate into the arena to challenge Donald Trump, and knocked everyone else out of the race. @NikkiHaley is a Patriot and a friend who ran a great campaign, and made sure it was the voters, not the media or party elites, that had the final say." –New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, on X
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"This entire primary season could've been an email" –Meghan McCain, sharing a post from Melissa Chen on X
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"'It's now to Donald Trump to earn the support of those in our party who did not support him.' —@NikkiHaley as she suspends her campaign. Trump will need to earn her endorsement." –Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele on X
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"Ambassador Haley has a lot to be proud of. She has created many firsts in her quest for the Republican nomination and has acquired a significant following. I believe her decision to suspend her campaign is in the best interest of the party and is a chance to reset the 2024 presidential contest. I hope she will be able to support President Trump as he seeks to end the nightmare of the Biden presidency." –Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham on X
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"Congratulations to President Donald J. Trump on his huge primary victory! I'd also like to congratulate Nikki Haley for running a hard-fought campaign and becoming the first woman to win a Republican presidential primary contest." –GOP committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in a statement on X
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Shortly after Nikki Haley announced she was suspending her campaign, Sen. Mitch McConnell, who previously said Donald Trump was "morally responsible" for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, endorsed Trump.
"It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States. It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support," the Kentucky Republican said in a statement.
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The organization Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly NARAL, issued a statement on March 6 after Nikki Haley left the race, leaving the path clear for Trump to secure the GOP nomination.
"Donald Trump is the biggest threat to reproductive freedom and our democracy that our country has faced in generations," the statement said, quoting the group's CEO Mini Timmaraju. "In his first term, he stacked the courts with extremist judges and overturned Roe. The very real dangers of a second term for Trump are clear. We must reelect President Biden and Vice President Harris to restore our rights and safeguard our democracy."
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"'I end my campaign with the same words I began it, from the Book of Joshua: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For God will be with you wherever you go.' @NikkiHaley" –MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, quoting Nikki Haley on X
