Former US President Donald Trump has continued his triumph in the Republican presidential primaries and also clearly defeated his rival Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina. The 77-year-old right-wing populist got 60 percent on Saturday after almost all votes were counted, as US broadcasters reported. Haley only received 39 percent of the vote, but reiterated that she did not want to drop out of the race.
“I said this week that I would continue to run no matter what happens in South Carolina,” said the former governor of the southeastern US state on election night. “I am a woman of my word. I am not giving up this fight because a majority of Americans oppose both Donald Trump and Joe Biden.”
Trump, on the other hand, has already set his sights on the presidential election on November 5th, in which he wants to defeat incumbent Biden from the US Democrats. “We will be here on November 5th (…) and we will say: ‘Joe, you are fired. Get out of here,'” said the ex-president at his victory celebration in South Carolina’s capital Columbia.
In response to his predecessor’s election success, Biden warned of the “danger that Donald Trump poses to our future.” The US is still struggling with the “damage” that Trump caused during his presidency.
Trump, who had already won the primaries in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, also started as the overwhelming favorite in South Carolina – despite Nikki Haley’s home advantage. The former US ambassador to the United Nations was born in South Carolina and was governor of the state for six years – between 2011 and 2017. Saturday’s defeat is therefore particularly bitter for the 52-year-old.
The Republican, who is moderate compared to Trump, is the 77-year-old’s last remaining serious rival in the race for the conservative party’s presidential candidacy. She wants to continue at least until the so-called Super Tuesday on March 5th, when the Republicans will hold primaries in 15 states.
Despite his presidency from 2017 to 2021, which was marked by scandals and affairs and his numerous judicial problems, Trump enjoys great popularity among the right-wing base. In recent weeks, with the exception of Haley, all of Trump’s major primary rivals have thrown in the towel, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Haley hoped to attract the votes of all those Republican voters who are skeptical of Trump – and thus be able to defeat the 77-year-old. There is now little doubt that Trump will win the Republican primary. This all amounts to a repeat of the duel of the 2020 election between Biden and Trump.
The presidential candidate of the opposition Republicans will be formally nominated at a party conference in July after the primary elections. The Democrats are also holding primaries, but Biden is virtually certain as the candidate for the election in November.
However, many Democrats have doubts that the 81-year-old is the right candidate given his age. Biden is already the oldest president in US history and repeatedly causes a stir with slips of the tongue and mix-ups.
