Nikki Haley pointed to a “large bloc” of voters who harbor “deep concerns” about Donald Trump in a printed statement Tuesday night after the former president scored a string of victories and moved closer to the presidential nomination.
Haley issued the statement through her campaign, on a night when she stayed low-key with staff when the statements came in and announced she had no plans to address her supporters or campaign during the week.
“We are honored to have received the support today of millions of Americans across the country, including in Vermont, where Nikki became the first Republican woman to win two presidential primaries,” said spokesperson Olivia Pérez-Cubas.
He then referred to “unity,” which is something Trump has repeatedly called for in a party that is increasingly under his control.
‘Unity is not achieved simply by stating “we are united.” Today, in state after state, there remains a large bloc of Republican primary voters expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump. That is not the unity our party needs to be successful. Addressing the concerns of these voters will improve the Republican Party and the United States,” Pérez-Cubas added.
Nikki Haley issued a statement about the “deep concerns” voters have about rival Donald Trump after the former president captured a dozen states and counted on his march toward the likely Republican nomination.
The statement came after Trump addressed supporters at Mar-a-Lago and did not mention his main rival, after winning a dozen states and counting, including delegate-rich California.
Haley, by contrast, won only Vermont, after capturing the District of Columbia, with an increasingly narrow path to the nomination. Trump managed to capture more than 90 percent of the delegates so far.
‘They call it Super Tuesday for a reason: it’s a big victory. And they tell me, the expert, that there has never been anything so conclusive,” Trump said.
Haley was sheltering in place in her home state of South Carolina as millions of Americans went to the polls.
His campaign sent no information about any kind of plan to address his supporters as the results came in, even as Trump declared the race almost over and invited hundreds of supporters to his private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Trump made big delegate gains from California and Texas, and was on track to capture his party’s nomination as early as next week.
The loss in Virginia deprived Haley of one of the 15 states in play Tuesday where she had anything resembling a chance.
Donald Trump addresses his supporters at Mar-a-Lago where he referred to a “great victory”
And exit poll data described an electorate that might be open to a candidate like Haley: 72 percent suburban, mostly college-educated and less committed to ‘MAGA’ than neighboring North Carolina.
The only information about his whereabouts came from a public comment by Haley in a television interview that he would be in his home state on Super Tuesday.
By contrast, before her loss in her home state of South Carolina, the candidate had telegraphed that she would campaign in Michigan and continue through Super Tuesday.
Before Tuesday night, she had only said she would stay in the race as long as she was “competitive.”
His campaign did not announce any future stops after Tuesday, although Trump was not expected to get the necessary delegates immediately.
Nor did his campaign organize any kind of call to try to outline a path forward for members of the media covering the unequal careers of two people.
Her campaign’s only public presence on Tuesday, as millions of Americans went to the polls, was a new website and a television appearance by the candidate in which Haley rejected insistence that she “get out” of the race for the White House while faced an avalanche of potential candidates. Losses on Super Tuesday.
Haley faced pointed questions about her future. when he would exit the race during a Super Tuesday appearance on Fox & Friends.
“As much as everyone wants to kick me out, I’m not ready to do it yet,” she said as people began voting in 15 states across the country with hundreds of delegates at stake.
“I’m still sitting there fighting for people who want to have a voice, and they deserve it,” she added.
Haley responded when asked whether she should backtrack on her debate promise to endorse the eventual nominee, something she has ruled out as her criticism of Trump has become increasingly pronounced.
‘If you don’t have a good night, are you going to drop out of school and when will you realize it’s time to unify?’ Will you rally around and support Donald Trump if he wins tonight? asked Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt.
“If I got out of the race, it would still be the longest presidential general election in history. I don’t know why everyone is so adamant that they have to follow Trump’s example to get me out of this race,” Haley responded. “These people deserve to vote… It’s as pro-American as it gets.”
She said of Trump, who she said was responsible for a series of GOP defeats: “I haven’t heard him promise me that he would support me if I won.” So I don’t know why I have to promise him that I would support him if he won.
Haley’s campaign released a new digital ad on monday where the candidate says Trump left his ‘marks’ in a series of losses. It begins with a clip of Trump telling his supporters that they would get “bored of winning” because they would do it so often.
Haley does not have a public calendar of events laying out her long-term plans for continuing the fight.
Trump has announced plans to campaign in Georgia next week.
‘When will you realize it’s time to unify?’ Fox host Ainsley Earhardt asked, prompting Haley to push back.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump has announced plans to campaign in Georgia next week.
A voter fills out his ballot at the Fairfax County Government Center polling place in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, March 5, 2024. “Super Tuesday” voters in 15 states and territories will cast their votes for the presidential candidates in the United States of 2024.
Trump is not expected to mathematically win the nomination today.
Haley on Monday announced a Louisiana leadership team, including several former members of Congress, but no trip to the Pelican State.
When asked on CNN on Monday if she could name the states she could win and how many she could point to to justify staying, Haley avoided a direct answer.
‘Well, we’ve said as long as we’re competitive, we’ve been to 10 states in the last week alone. “I just finished a rally here in Houston, Texas, and over 1,000 people showed up,” he said.