Trump sweeps South Carolina Republican primary; beats rival Nikki Haley
Former United States (US) President Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley in the crucial Republican primary in her home state of South Carolina on Saturday (local time). Haley was his last challenger in the 2024 Republican race for the Oval Office. With this, the 77-year-old has swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, with wins in New Hampshire, Nevada, Iowa, and the US Virgin Islands.
Why does this story matter?
Trump's latest victory is set to put further pressure on Haley, the former representative to the United Nations (UN) and South Carolina governor between 2011 and 2017, to leave the presidential race. The victory in South Carolina also increases the likelihood that Trump will face a rematch against his Democratic rival, President Joe Biden, in November.
Trump's victory speech highlights unity
The margin of the win wasn't immediately clear, but it was expected to be significant. However, major US networks called the race within seconds of the polls closing. Taking the stage for his victory speech just moments after the election closed, the former US president declared, "I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now." "You can celebrate for about 15 minutes, but then we have to get back to work," Trump added.
You can watch Trump's address here
Survey of Republican South Carolina primary voters
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner as polling closed statewide at 7:00pm, based on an analysis by AP VoteCast, a survey of Republican South Carolina primary voters. The survey supported the findings of pre-election polls, which showed Trump substantially surpassing Haley. This is despite Trump facing a slew of civil and criminal cases against him. His first criminal trial, involving hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, is set to begin on March 25 in New York City.
My mother was a lawyer in India: Haley
Haley, meanwhile, has pledged to continue her campaign until the Super Tuesday contests on March 5, when 15 US states and one territory hold their primaries. Earlier, Haley said she was the "proud daughter" of legal immigrants from a rural town in South Carolina. "My mother was a lawyer in India, and one of the first women to be selected to sit in court... Today...she cast her vote for her child to be president of the United States," she said.
