In what one would have to argue as a seriously embarrassing moment, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley completely jumped the gun Tuesday afternoon, defiantly declaring, “I won this race,” and promising doubters they will be hearing the four words everyone hates.
Haley, is the only remaining candidate opposing former President Donald Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. However, most polls predicted Trump would win New Hampshire, beating out the former South Carolina Governor and former U.S. Ambassador in a big way.
In a video posted on X, Fox News’ Martha MacCallum interviewed Haley today inquiring if she might have a future role in a potential second Trump administration.
Haley fired back, “I’m running to win this race, and as much as everybody wants to talk about what I’m gonna do, at some point y’all are gonna to realize that I won this race, and you’re going to have to accept when I say I told you so.”
“It is slow and steady wins the race. I’ve done this the entire time. We’re gonna finish it. I don’t want anything else. I don’t want anything else. I’m running to be president,” she said.
The only person saying “I told you so” tonight is Donald Trump.
A mere eight days after making a killing in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses, Trump has defeated Haley a second time. The race was called for Trump by Fox News a just a few short minutes after the final polls closed in New Hampshire.
“I’m very honored by the result,” Trump told Fox News Digital in a statement.
From Concord, New Hampshire, Haley responded to the news in a speech to supporters, stating “I want to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory tonight. He earned it and I want to acknowledge that.”
Trump was asked if Haley would suspend her campaign after losing New Hampshire to which he responded that he didn’t know but “she should.”
However, Haley is adamant that her campaign would continue.
“Now you’ve all heard the chatter among the political class. They’re falling all over themselves saying this race is over. Well, I have news for all of them, New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not last in the nation. This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go. And next one is my sweet state of South Carolina,” she said.
While there are no current polls in South Carolina, the Wall Street Journal reported Trump had a 30 percentage point lead over the former governor in a state poll four days prior to the Iowa caucus. With two victories in his belt and all of the former GOP candidates with the exception of Chris Christie having endorsed Trump, it is hard to imagine Trump’s momentum will alter.
TRUMP: “She’s doing a speech like she won. She didn’t win. She LOST.” pic.twitter.com/Noz3YW0WZE
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 24, 2024
Trump still needs to find a way to bridge the great divide in the Republican party and convince the independent voters why he is the better choice over Biden to be victorious in the general election, assuming they are in fact the candidates on the final ticket in November.