Ron DeSantis drops out of US presidential race, backs Trump
Once viewed as Republicans' best shot at overtaking former United States (US) President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his 2024 presidential bid on Sunday (local time) just before the New Hampshire primary. "It's clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance," he said in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) while backing the former US president.
Why does this story matter?
The development comes days after Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the 2024 US presidential race last week. Ramaswamy announced his decision right after his poor performance in the Iowa caucuses and vowed to back Trump. In the first Iowa Republican Presidential contest of 2024, the former US president recorded a resounding win.
Trump 'superior' to Biden: DeSantis
The 45-year-old Florida governor also acknowledged "disagreements" with Trump but said that the former president was "superior" to US President Joe Biden. Biden is virtually certain to be the Democratic candidate for the general elections in November. "I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge," added DeSantis while confirming his stand for the presidential election.
You can watch his full address here
Nikki Haley remains only Republican challenging Trump
With DeSantis pulling out, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is the last Republican in the race attempting to deny Trump the nomination. Reacting to DeSantis's decision to quit his presidential bid, Haley reportedly said, "I want to say to Ron, he ran a great race, he's been a good governor and we wish him well." "Having said that, it's now one fella and one lady left," she added.
Looking forward to working with DeSantis to beat Biden: Trump
Trump also reacted to DeSantis's exit from the presidential race. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the 77-year-old said that he was "very honored" to have the endorsement of the Florida governor. "I look forward to working together with him to beat Joe Biden, who is the worst and most corrupt president in the history of our country," added the former US president.
