A somber Nikki Haley suspends presidential campaign

Former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley suspended her presidential campaign March 6, 2024. // Photo by Andy Brack, Charleston City Paper

You could almost taste the solemn disappointment in the air at Blackboard headquarters as former Gov. Nikki Haley suspended her presidential campaign today.

Haley’s withdrawal from the campaign trail leaves former President Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. On Tuesday, she won only one state — Vermont — in Republican primaries held in 15 states.

“I sought the honor of being your president,” Haley said on an overcast morning. “But in our great country, being a private citizen is a privilege enough in itself. And that’s a privilege I very much look forward to enjoying,” she said to a group of about 40 supporters as a flock of 90 in the media sent her news around the globe.

Haley, Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations, congratulated her former boss, but did not endorse him.

“I wish him well. I wish anyone well who would be America’s president.  Our country is too precious to let our differences divide us.”

Haley, who wore a striking red dress, also recalled the words of a late British prime minister: “Margaret Thatcher provided some good advice when she said, ‘Never follow the crowd. Always make up your own mind.”

She said it was Trump’s job now to earn American votes from Americans in the GOP and beyond.

“And I hope he does that. At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away.”

Biden makes a pitch

Meanwhile in a statement, Biden pitched Haley supporters to back him in November over Trump. He praised Haley for telling truths about Trump and “the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin.”

Haley Credit: Andy Brack, Charleston City Paper

Biden said Trump has shown he doesn’t want Haley’s supporters.

“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.”

Biden, who swept Democratic primaries in 15 states on Super Tuesday, outlined the extraordinary rematch he expects with Trump, who currently faces 91 criminal felony counts in four cases from Georgia to New York, to be extraordinary.

“The stakes for America couldn’t be higher,” Biden said. “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.”

Haley continues to focus on issues

In remarks that lasted less than four minutes, Haley also pushed recent campaign themes, saying she wouldn’t stop using her voice for what she believes in:

• Debt: “Our national debt will eventually crush our economy. A smaller federal government is not only necessary for our freedom. It is necessary for our survival.”

• Washington, D.C.: “Our Congress is dysfunctional and only getting worse. It is filled with followers, not leaders. Term limits for Washington politicians. are needed now more than ever.”

• Global leadership: “Our world is on fire because of America’s retreat. Standing by our allies in the Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan is a moral imperative. But it’s also more than that. If we retreat further, there will be more war, not less.”

This post is republished with permission from our sister publication Charleston City Paper.