Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ended his Republican United States presidential campaign just before the New Hampshire primary and endorsed Donald Trump, after failing to emerge as a serious challenger for the White House against the 77-year-old former president. DeSantis\u2019s decision comes less than two days before the New Hampshire primary, in which polls showed him far behind frontrunner Trump and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley. \u201cIt\u2019s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,\u201d the 45-year-old said in a video posted on X on Sunday. In the video, DeSantis went on to attack Haley, long his closest rival for second place in the primary race, saying Republicans \u201ccan\u2019t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents\u201d. At a Sunday evening rally in Rochester, New Hampshire, Trump set aside months of criticism and mockery of DeSantis to praise the governor, saying he was looking forward to working together to defeat President Joe Biden, the probable Democratic nominee. \u201cI just want to thank Ron and congratulate him on doing a very good job,\u201d Trump said at the outset of his remarks. \u201cHe was very gracious, and he endorsed me. I appreciate that, and I also look forward to working with Ron.\u201d Trump described DeSantis as \u201ca really terrific person\u201d. Trump accused Haley of forming an \u201cunholy alliance\u201d with liberals, never-Trumpers and so-called RINOs, or Republicans in Name Only, to try and win the New Hampshire primary. When DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential contest, early primary polls suggested he was in a strong position to beat Trump, who faces multiple court cases including for interference in the 2020 presidential election. The Florida governor built a campaign war chest well in excess of $100m supported by a significant legislative record on issues important to many conservatives such as abortion and the teaching of race and gender issues in schools. But he failed to make headway and connect with voters. From a high-profile announcement on X that was plagued by technical glitches to constant upheavals in his staff and campaign strategy, DeSantis struggled to find his footing in the primary. He lost the Iowa caucuses \u2013 which he had vowed to win \u2013 by 30 percentage points to Trump, just ahead of Haley. DeSantis and Haley frequently attacked each other in debates and in advertising, often more directly than they did Trump. David Kochel, a Republican strategist who has worked on five presidential campaigns, said DeSantis\u2019s exit was unlikely to change the basic contours of the campaign, given that his support had cratered. \u201cThe race needs a big dynamic shift, and I don\u2019t feel that DeSantis dropping out is that big a deal as he didn\u2019t have that much going on in New Hampshire, and he didn\u2019t even have that much going on in South Carolina,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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