(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially suspended his bid for the Republican nomination for president, choosing instead to endorse former President Donald Trump, the front-runner and presumed nominee.
DeSantis’ decision to conclude his presidential aspirations marks the end of a tumultuous era characterized by scandals, low polls and concerns that he was tarnishing his image as America’s favorite governor.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill pic.twitter.com/ECoR8YeiMm
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 21, 2024
In a heartfelt video lasting over four minutes, shared on Twitter, DeSantis revealed that he made the decision to withdraw following his second-place loss in the Iowa caucuses.
“Now, following our second-place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on the way forward,” DeSantis said. “If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it. But I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources. We don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”
Notably, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the remaining presidential candidate, and Trump would likely vie for DeSantis’ supporters (although it isn’t immediately clear how many of DeSantis’s supporters would back Haley). However, in the same speech, DeSantis endorsed Trump while simultaneously taking a jab at Haley.
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” DeSantis continued, before adding, “He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”
DeSantis secured second place in the Iowa caucuses and was polling second and even third in some polls in the New Hampshire primary.
Trump has since expressed willingness to reconcile with those who ran against him. He has hosted campaign events with North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, all of whom unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination.
While many are eyeing DeSantis for a potential Trump-DeSantis ticket, the Florida governor has previously stated his preference to remain as governor rather than become vice president.
Most recently, Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son, expressed his desire to see his father consider DeSantis for a potential vice president role.
