Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Suspends Presidential Campaign, Endorses Trump

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was once a prominent Republican contender in the presidential election, announced the end of his campaign and pledged his support to former President Donald Trump, Aso Naija Reports.

DeSantis made the decision to withdraw from the race after experiencing a decline in support over several months. With his departure, the only candidate remaining between Trump and the Republican Party’s nomination for the US presidential election in November is Nikki Haley, who has been polling poorly.

In a video message, DeSantis explained that his second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses made it difficult for him to continue asking his supporters to contribute their time and resources without a clear path to victory. He stated, “Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”

This announcement came shortly before the New Hampshire primary, where polls indicated that DeSantis was significantly trailing Trump, the frontrunner, as well as former UN ambassador Nikki Haley.

DeSantis acknowledged that a majority of Republican primary voters expressed a desire to give Donald Trump another opportunity. Despite their previous disagreements, particularly regarding the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, DeSantis endorsed Trump, emphasizing the need to move away from the old establishment of the Republican Party and rejecting what he described as a recycled version of corporatism represented by Nikki Haley.

Trump emerged victorious in the Iowa caucuses, capturing 51 percent of the Republican voters’ support, while DeSantis received only 21 percent and Haley trailed behind at 19 percent.

It is highly unlikely that a candidate who wins the first two states would lose the race, making a victory in New Hampshire crucial for Trump to solidify his position as the Republican nominee.

In response to DeSantis’ endorsement, Trump’s campaign expressed gratitude and urged Republicans to unite behind him. They dismissed Haley as “the candidate of the globalists and Democrats” and called for a wise choice in the upcoming decisions.

Haley, in her own statement, cautioned against assuming the United States is a country of coronations. She highlighted that only one state has voted thus far, with half of its votes going to Trump and the other half distributed among different candidates. She emphasized the importance of allowing voters to have a say in whether the country continues on the path of Trump and Biden or ventures down a new conservative route.