New Delhi: Donald Trump marched loser to a November rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden as he cruised to victory in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential contest on Tuesday, Edison Research projected. His only remaining rival, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, vowed to soldier on despite her loss, Reuters reported.
“This race is far from over,” she told her supporters at a post-election party in Concord, challenging Trump to debate her. “I’m a fighter. And I’m scrappy. And now we’re the last one standing next to Donald Trump.
At his own party in Nashua, Trump opened his speech by mocking Haley, calling her an “imposter” and saying, “She’s doing, like, a speech like she won. She didn’t win. She lost. … She had a very bad night.” His remarks followed a series of angry posts on his Truth Social app, calling her “DELUSIONAL.”
They know Trump is the only Republican in the country who Joe Biden can defeat,” Haley, 52, warned.
With strong turnout in the northeastern state, Haley had hoped for a major upset. But US broadcasters quickly projected her defeat as first tallies came in.
Notably, Donald Trump was already the runaway leader in national Republican polling, despite two impeachments as president, and four criminal trials hanging over him since leaving office.
While Haley repeatedly questioned the 77-year-old’s mental fitness and warned another Trump presidency would bring “chaos,” polls indicate her efforts in New Hampshire created little more than a speed bump.
“I think it’s a two-person race now between Trump and Biden,” Keith Nahigian, a veteran of six presidential campaigns and former member of Trump’s transition team, told AFP.