Donald Trump marched Wednesday towards an unprecedented rematch against President Joe Biden in November as his final Republican rival Nikki Haley looked set to throw in the towel after a thumping defeat in the “Super Tuesday” primaries.
Former UN ambassador Haley was to suspend her campaign shortly, and without endorsing Trump, US media reported.
This will leave America almost inevitably facing a bitter battle for the White House that many voters say they don’t want, with Trump brushing aside multiple criminal indictments and the scandal over his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election in pursuit of a return to the world’s most powerful office.
The 52-year-old Haley, who sought a path to victory by portraying her one-time boss Trump as chaotic and mentally incompetent, was expected to make her announcement in Charleston in her home state of South Carolina at 10:00 am (1500 GMT).
Former president Trump, 77, swept 14 out of 15 states up for grabs on the biggest day of the 2024 race so far, with Haley denying him only in the northeastern state of Vermont as he covets a second term in the Oval Office.
Biden meanwhile swept the Democratic “Super Tuesday” primaries and will now gear up for Thursday’s State of the Union address, a defining moment as the unpopular 81-year-old seeks to allay voter concerns over his age, the economy and the war in Gaza.
Targeting a historic comeback, Trump told cheering supporters at his Mar-a-Lago beach club in Florida that they had witnessed “an amazing night and an amazing day.”
“They call it ‘Super Tuesday’ for a reason,” said Trump. “They tell me, the pundits and otherwise, that there has never been one like this, never been anything so conclusive.”
Trump also launched an attack on the man who beat him in 2020, painting a dark picture of a second Biden term and describing him as weak on the immigration, the economy and foreign affairs.