Joe Biden applauds Haley for 'daring to speak truth about Trump' as she quits

06 March 2024 , 16:51

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Republican presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley announces the suspension of her presidential campaign at her campaign headquarters (Image: Getty Images)

After South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced her plans to pull out of the running for the Republican presidential nomination, Democratic President Joe Biden issued a statement supporting her for being "willing to speak the truth about Donald Trump ".

Speaking at a press conference in Charleston, South Carolina, she said: "I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard, I have done that. I have no regrets. And although I will no longer be a candidate I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in."

Haley did not endorse Trump but instead encouraged him to earn the support of the coalition of moderate Republicans and independent voters who supported her. She said: "It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does that.

READ MORE: Nikki Haley quits but refuses to endorse Trump in defiant 'world on fire' speech

Haley said she had 'no regrets' about her campaign (Getty Images)

"At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people."

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After Haley took the stage in South Carolina, President Joe Biden issued a statement on her decision to withdraw from the race. He said: "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.

"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.

Biden praised Haley for 'daring to speak the truth' about Trump (AFP via Getty Images)

"I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign. I know there is a lot we won't agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America's adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground.

"We all know this is no ordinary election. And the stakes for America couldn't be higher. I know that Democrats and Republicans and Independents disagree on many issues and hold strong convictions. That's a good thing. That's what America stands for. But I also know this: what unites Democrats and Republicans and Independents is a love for America."

President Biden released a statement shortly after Haley confirmed she was dropping out of the race (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Former UN Ambassador Haley was Trump's first significant rival when she joined the Republican race in February 2023 and spent the final part of her campaign aggressively trying to warn the GOP against embracing Trump, who she argued was too consumed by chaos and personal grievance to defeat President Joe Biden in the November election. But her departure now means Trump lacks a major rival, securing the notion of a 2020 Trump v Biden rematch.

After Super Tuesday, Trump had 995 delegates and is well on track to reach the necessary 1,215 needed to clinch the Republican nomination. Meanwhile, at the time of dropping out, Haley had just 89 delegates, having only managed to beat Trump in Virginia on Super Tuesday and DC prior to that.

Haley has not endorsed Trump, instead saying he will have to win over her supporters (Getty Images)

Haley dipping out of the race will make a painful, if not slightly predictable, blow to voters, donors and Republican Party officials who oppose Trump and his inflammatory 'Make America Great Again' campaign. She was particularly popular among moderate voters and younger, college-educated voters - constituencies that will likely play a pivotal role in the general election.

Sources close to Haley have said she is keen to remain part of the GOP conversation and is proud to have been the last woman standing against Trump. Taking to his Truth Social platform in the aftermath of Super Tuesday, Trump claimed aley was "trounced" in "record setting fashion", inviting her supporters "to join the greatest movement in the history of our nation".

Fiona Leishman