Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told a small group of supporters in South Carolina that she was defying loud calls for her to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Speaking during a press conference in Greenville on Tuesday, she said that while she has not won any GOP primary contest and is trailing behind former President Donald Trump in national polls, she is “far” from being forced out of her campaign.
According to her, “the political elite, the party bosses, [and] the cheerleaders in the commentator world” are all trying to get her to “cave” to Trump.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley refuses to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, defying calls to quit despite trailing Trump. Haley slams the political elite and vows to continue her campaign. https://t.co/UES9RZSNAz
— The America One News (@am1_news) February 20, 2024
“They say…that my path to victory is slim. They point to the primary polls and say I’m only delaying the inevitable,” she stated, adding that she did not feel a need to “kiss the ring.”
Pointing that she will not let the fear for her political future scare her into quitting, she stated, “I refuse to quit. South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But on Sunday, I’ll still be running for President. I’m not going anywhere.”
The former U.N. ambassador then zeroed in on Trump, who she said has become “meaner and more offensive by the day.”
“He’s gotten more unstable and unhinged. He spends more time in courtrooms than he does on the campaign trail. He refuses to debate. He’s completely distracted, and everything is about him. He’s so obsessed with his own demons from the past,” she said, arguing that Americans cannot get the future they deserve with Trump.
She also brought President Joe Biden into the conversation, saying that he and Trump are not so different
Haley’s remarks come as the state’s primary is days away. Despite speculation that she will lose to Trump, as she is practically being beaten in the polls by the former president, she is insisting on finishing the 16 primary races and making it to Super Tuesday on March 5.
But for Trump, Haley’s insistence on staying in the race is not out of commitment. According to him, “she just can’t get herself to get out” as “she’s doing very poorly.”