Ron DeSantis drops out of race for Republican White House nomination

Haley has highlighted DeSantis' "great run" in the primaries

The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has announced his withdrawal from the competition to achieve the Republican Party nomination as a candidate for the US presidential elections on November 5 and has expressed his support for Donald Trump.

DeSantis has published a video in which he points out that "there is no clear path to victory." "If there was anything I could do to achieve a favorable outcome, more rallies, more interviews,... I would do it, but I can't ask our supporters to continue volunteering their time and donating their resources. Therefore, today I am suspending my campaign," he explained.

In his message he has expressed his support for his main rival, Donald Trump. "I am proud to have kept 100 percent of my promises and I am not going to stop doing so now. It is clear that the majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance (...). Although I have had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as over the coronavirus pandemic or over the appointment of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current president, Joe Biden. That is clear," he indicated.

"I committed to supporting the Republican candidate and I am going to keep that promise. He has my support because we cannot return to the old Republican guard of yesterday or the retreaded businessism that Nikki Haley represents," he stressed.

The resignation message quotes British Prime Minister Winston Churchill: "Success is not final; failure is not fatal." "What matters is the courage to continue. This campaign has ended, (but) the mission continues down here, in Florida. We are going to continue showing the country how to govern. Thank you and may God bless you," he stressed.

One of the donors to the DeSantis campaign has explained in statements on condition of anonymity to CNN that they did not have the necessary funds to continue with the competition. "There is no money to continue," he pointed out.

The decision was made this Sunday afternoon by DeSantis and his wife, Casey, after several days of contact with donors and to the surprise of many of their campaign members.

DeSantis' withdrawal marks the end of a meteoric rise and a similar fall that has ended expectations of unseating Trump as the favorite in the primaries.

Re-election as governor of Florida in 2022 with almost 60 percent of the votes was the starting signal for the jump into federal politics. He formalized it in May 2023 with the support of several heavyweights and veterans of the Republican Party.

When push came to shove, in the Iowa caucuses held last Monday, he obtained 21 percent support, compared to Trump's 51 percent. In the next meeting, in New Hampshire, a good result was not expected and the victory will be between Trump and Nikki Haley, whom many believe that DeSantis has underestimated.

REACTIONS

There is still no official reaction from the Trump campaign, but sources from it cited by US media claim that they did not know that he had any intention of supporting Trump.

However, they maintain that they were preparing for what finally happened at least 24 hours ago. "The rumors were intense all weekend, so we expected it," a Trump campaign official told CNN on condition of anonymity.

Haley has highlighted DeSantis' "great race" in the primaries, although his campaign believes that it does not represent any major change to their expectations.

"He's been a good governor and I wish him well. That being said, now there's one guy and one lady left. There were 14 people in this race. There were a lot of guys. They're all out except this one," Haley said during a event in Seabrook, New Hampshire.

"It all comes down to what you want. Do you want more of the same or do you want something new? We have two days until New Hampshire votes, but we are going to fight until the last second," he stressed.

Trump considers both DeSantis and Haley "disloyal" for facing him in the primaries despite the fact that he previously supported them in the elections in Florida or naming her ambassador to the UN.