The Rise and Fall of N.C.’s Leadership in Gold and Sound Money

Money Metals News Service
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The Rise and Fall of N.C.’s Leadership in Gold and Sound Money

(Joshua D Glawson, Money Metals News Service) The first gold rush in North America began in North Carolina in 1799 after a 12-year-old boy named Conrad Reed found a 17-pound gold nugget. The news spread, drawing the attention of tens of thousands of prospectors to begin mining operations throughout the state.

This gold rush made North Carolina a central hub for gold mining and private coining. Gold mining became North Carolina’s second-largest market, behind agriculture.

Gold Coins NC

When people mined gold in the U.S., they could turn that gold into standardized coins by taking it to a private mint or the U.S. Mint and would receive completed coins in return.

Private mints existed in America, such as John Higley’s private mint in Connecticut which minted copper coins as early as 1737; John Chalmers’ Maryland-based mint that started producing silver and gold coinage in 1783; and, Templeton Reid’s Georgia private mint beginning in 1830.

Until 1835, the only federal government minting location was the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, which was too far away and costly for most people living in the Carolinas. Certainly, that would be a dangerous journey to be carrying large quantities of gold.

Since 1792, the U.S. Mint had provided free coining of gold, silver, and copper when people turned in their monetary metals. However, since it was free of charge, the process was slow as many more people turned their metals in.

In contrast, private mints charged a small fee but could coin much quicker than the Philadelphia Mint.

The private options for standardizing the content, purity, and weight of a gold coin were not guaranteed by the government as “legal tender,” but banks and everyday people readily accepted them.

These private mints were praised for their highest quality standards well trusted by the market and competed directly with government mints. Privately minted coins were quite common.

Although the Coinage Act of 1792 specified what the content, weight, purity, and denominations of U.S. coinage would be, the gold and silver coins produced were out of sync with world standards at the time in the sense that, in the U.S., silver was slightly overvalued versus gold.

Gold Coins NC

Foreign coins (e.g. Spanish silver dollar known as “pieces of eight” as seen in the image above), privately minted coins, and U.S. Mint coins all circulated within the United States. (That is until Congress intervened by passing The Coinage Act of 1857 to stop the circulation of foreign coins.)

From 1799 through 1830, North Carolinians either made the long trek to Philadelphia to have their coins minted or traded with local banks that then took the raw gold to the Philadelphia Mint.

Answering the market demand, Christopher Bechtler opened a private mint in Rutherford County, North Carolina, in 1830 and began privately minting gold coins in 1831 and 1832. Bechtler minted $1.00, $2.50, and $5.00 face value gold coins. The Bechtler dollar gold coin was the first gold dollar coin in the United States. The Bechtler family minted coins until the 1850s.

more gold coins

Both sides of a Bechtler gold dollar coin

Each Bechtler gold coin had the face value, “A. Bechtler,” “Carolina Gold,” and the weight in grams. For about 5 years the Bechtler Mint was the sole provider of gold coins in the Carolinas.

The federal government finally saw the need to open other mint locations around the country. In 1835, the U.S. Mint opened the Charlotte Mint, Dahlonega Georgia Mint, and the New Orleans Mint.

The Charlotte Mint in 1837

From 1835 to 1861 the federal government operated the Charlotte Mint and produced gold coins. During the Civil War, the Confederates converted the Charlotte Mint into a hospital and military office.

After the Civil War, the Charlotte Mint was converted to an Assay Office (1867-1913) before eventually being closed altogether on the notion that there was ostensibly no longer enough gold available to justify minting activities.

Gold coins

Both sides of an 1860s Greenback

At the same time minting abruptly ended in North Carolina, central planners created the first U.S. income tax in 1861 and fabricated the US-Union fiat currency known as greenbacks in 1862 (Confederates made fiat greybacks). Truly a monetary seigniorage scheme.

They also created the IRS in 1862, established the federal tax levy court system, made private minting of coins or money illegal in 1864, expanded federal powers and territory through the National Banking Acts of 1863 and 1864 to create a false sense of demand, and created the Secret Service in 1865 to enforce those anti sound money laws and system.

Call me a skeptic.

This series of events that echoed throughout the American Civil War effectively ended North Carolina’s growth and leadership in gold mining and the private minting of sound money.

Today, you can still visit Reed Gold Mine in Midland, and the site of the Bechtler Mint in Rutherfordton. The Charlotte Mint building was relocated and reconstructed into the Mint Museum at Randolph in Charlotte in 1933 — which was the same year that the U.S. government made owning gold bullion illegal.

Biden Gets in Bed w/ al-Qaeda in Yemen

Ken Silva
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Biden Gets in Bed w/ al-Qaeda in Yemen

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) President Joe Biden’s new war against the Houthis in Yemen puts him in alliance with al-Qaeda, the terrorist network responsible for killing thousands of Americans.

The U.S. has allied with al-Qaeda in Yemen off and on throughout the country’s decades-long civil war. The U.S. also backed the Houthis at certain points during the Bush and Obama administrations, on the grounds of opposing al-Qaeda.

But now that the U.S. is again bombing the Iran-backed Houthis as part of the wider conflict between Israel and Iran, Biden is again allied with the al-Qaeda. A new investigation from BBC showed that members of the terrorist organization now hold official positions within the U.S.-backed government of Yemen.

“The BBC has found that despite the American mercenaries’ stated aim to eliminate the jihadist groups al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) in southern Yemen, in fact the UAE [United Arab Emirates] has gone on to recruit former al-Qaeda members for this security force,” BBC reported Monday.

“The whistleblower sent a document with 11 names of former al-Qaeda members now working in the STC, some of whose identities we were able to verify ourselves,” BBC said. STC is a U.S.-backed security organization that runs a network of armed groups across southern Yemen.

One of the al-Qaeda members now backed by Biden is reportedly Nasser al-Shiba, a suspect in the attack on the US warship USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors in October 2000. “Multiple sources told us that he is now the commander of one of the STC military units,” BBC said.

The STC’s leader, Aidarus al-Zubaidi, reportedly called for U.S. support for a ground campaign against the Houthis after Biden began his bombing campaign.

 “Ground forces must be supported on the ground, and these forces belong to the legitimate government,” he said last week. “These forces are the ones who can achieve a victory on the ground, because strong strikes without ground operations are useless.”

Antiwar.com’s Dave DeCamp said there’s currently no indication yet that the US is looking to back a new ground campaign against the Houthis.

“But the situation continues to escalate,” DeCamp said. “The US has bombed Yemen eight times now since January 12, and US officials say they’re planning for an open-ended war.”

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

FBI’s Retaliation Leaves Whistleblower Destitute

Ken Silva
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FBI’s Retaliation Leaves Whistleblower Destitute

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) A whistleblower organization filed a heart-wrenching complaint with the DOJ Inspector General on behalf of suspended FBI analyst Marcus Allen, revealing that Allen has been suspended for two years now with no pay—leaving him and his family destitute.

Allen was suspended for questioning FBI Director Chris Wray’s representations to Congress that his bureau didn’t have informants within the groups that participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill uprising. Allen and the group representing him, Empower Oversight, argue that Allen was suspended in retaliation for making a protected whistleblower disclosure.

“By disclosing in good faith to supervisors in his direct chain of command his reasonable belief that Director Wray may have misled Congress, Mr. Allen’s September 29, 2021, communications were protected,” stated his complaint, filed Monday with the Justice Department’s Inspector General.

“However, as a reprisal for Mr. Allen’s protected disclosure, the FBI not only initiated an investigation into his security clearance and suspended his clearance, it also suspended him from duty indefinitely without pay,” the complaint said.

“It is also important to point out that the FBI has compounded the severe financial distress Mr. Allen and his family have suffered while he is suspended without pay by preventing him from taking ‘outside’ employment or accepting charitable contributions solicited for his family.”

Along with outlining Allen’s hardship and the reasons his suspension was improper, Allen’s complaint revealed the existence of at least one more FBI informant within the Jan. 6 crowd.

According to this complaint, Allen had first-hand knowledge that the FBI’s Charlotte field office had an informant at the Capitol.

“Allen’s position on the matter was likely influenced by his knowledge [Charlotte Field Office] did have a source at the Capitol, who was reporting as the events unfolded on January 6,” his complaint said.

Headline USA reported last September about an FBI informant from Charlotte who received a sweetheart deal for a recent felony gun charge. The informant, Michael Jones, had infiltrated the Proud Boys and reportedly stormed the Capitol, but wasn’t charged for doing so.

In addition to his DOJIG complaint on Monday, Allen sued the FBI in December, alleging that the bureau’s improper suspension of him and the revocation of his security clearance is a violation of his constitutional rights. The FBI has responded with a motion to dismiss the lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction.

A federal judge has yet to rule on the matter, and the lawsuit is currently paused as Allen tries to address his situation through DOJIG channels.

Judicial Watch is supporting Allen’s lawsuit.

“The FBI can’t purge employees based on political smears. Judicial Watch seeks to remind the FBI that it is not above the law with this civil rights lawsuit for Mr. Allen, a decorated Marine veteran and highly regarded FBI employee,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton when the lawsuit was filed.

Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.

Whistleblowers Allege Plot to Subvert Mich. GOP as Party Splits over Ousted Chair

Jacob Bruns
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Whistleblowers Allege Plot to Subvert Mich. GOP as Party Splits over Ousted Chair

(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) In the wake of the recent ousting of Michigan Republican Party Chair Kristina Karamo, whistleblowers have come forward alleging that Karamo was compromised from the start due to the influence of former Democrat Mike Labadie, Bigger Truth Media reported.

Infighting within the Michigan GOP over the past several years may have cost the party a shot at retaining control in the state government and paved the way for sweeping Democratic takeovers of the swing state, where far-left Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is now pushing through a raft of voting “reforms” to help ensure permanent blue majorities.

Central to that has been Karamo, who was recently ousted as the party chair—at least according to her opponents.

However, despite a vote earlier this month that reportedly made the ouster of Karamo and general counsel Dan Hartman official, Hartman posted a statement to the Michigan GOP website Saturday suggesting that the Karamo faction remained in control.

“[A]s we move forward in this saga, be aware that not only does Kristina Karamo enjoy the support of the vast majority of the actual Precinct Delegates, but that the State Committee … voted to retain her by rejecting the motion for removal,” Hartman said. He called the earlier Jan. 6 meeting “invalid.”

Critics pressed for Karamo’s removal after right-wing activist Laura Loomer accused her of secretly overseeing a Nevada-based shell company that helped register Democrat candidates seeking to run for office.

Insiders have now suggested that Karamo is being driven by Labadie, an alleged Democrat operative, to splinter the party and reduce it to impotence.

According to the whistleblowers, Labadie, who was registered as a California Democrat as recently as 2016, gained undue influence over Karamo in an attempt to split the Republican Party.

Two out of the five whistleblowers played key roles in Karamo’s former campaigns, including Kristy Klamer, Karamo’s personal handler and unofficial campaign manager.

According to Klamer, who spent thousands of hours with Karamo’s campaign team over many months, Labadie routinely predicted losses for Karamo in private, while publicly backing her and building her career.

“We’re going to lose,” he allegedly said repeatedly throughout the 2022 secretary of state campaign, in which he was advising Karamo. She lost by 600,000 votes to far-left, George Soros-backed incumbent Jocelyn Benson.

The whistleblowers speculated that Labadie never wanted to win the race, but only to leverage Karamo’s increased popularity into a position as chair of the Michigan GOP.

They also suggested that, while never a confirmed member, Labadie appears to know a great deal about Free Masons.

“Mike told me once that Free Masons know scripture better than pastors do,” Klamer said, suggesting that Labadie comes across as a priest-like figure, presenting himself as a potential political savior.

“He never actually said he was a Free Mason, but he talked about them often,” she continued. “When we first met, he told me that his mission was to get the church more involved in politics.”

Abbott Doubles Down on Border Razor Wire: ‘This Is Not Over’

Luis Cornelio
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Abbott Doubles Down on Border Razor Wire: ‘This Is Not Over’

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the additional installation of razor wire along the southern border following a Supreme Court order that blocked an injunction preventing the Biden administration from cutting through the wire in besieged areas. 

Video footage from the southern border showed Texas National Guard personnel manually constructing razor wire in Eagle Pass, Texas. This action comes as Abbott confronts Border Patrol agents cutting through the wire, thus facilitating easier illegal crossings.

Earlier in the day, Abbott tweeted that the state’s National Guard would “hold the line” in Eagle Pass. “Texas will not back down from our efforts to secure the border in Biden’s absence,” he said.

Texas has besieged several parts of the southern border due to widespread concerns that the Biden administration is not doing enough to block the entry of illegal aliens into the U.S. According to Daily Caller, the Department of Homeland Security ordered Abbott to grant access to previously blocked areas by Jan. 26. 

Abbott ordered the manufacturing of the wire 24 hours after the Court granted the federal government’s request to block an injunction placed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is currently deliberating a lawsuit between Abbott and the federal government. 

Abbott initiated the legal battle to prevent federal border agents from cutting the wire. However, in a 5-4 vote, the justices ruled that the Biden administration could cut through the wire as the appeals process unfolded. 

“This is not over,” he said. “Texas’ razor wire is an effective deterrent to the illegal crossings Biden encourages. I will continue to defend Texas’ constitutional authority to secure the border and prevent the Biden Admin from destroying our property.”

In December 2023, Border Patrol encountered 302,000 illegal aliens, marking the highest number ever recorded. Such a feat also marked the first time over 300,000 illegal immigrants were encountered by Border Patrol. 

The chaos is so rampant that even Democratic mayors and governors of historically pro-illegal immigrant cities and states have called on the Biden administration to take stronger action against illegal immigration. 

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is facing impeachment threats for what Republicans rebuke as a dereliction of duty, accusing him of failing to deport illegal aliens entering the U.S. 

Leaked Audio Exposes GOP Official Attempting to Bribe Kari Lake

Luis Cornelio
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Leaked Audio Exposes GOP Official Attempting to Bribe Kari Lake

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A leaked audio recording has exposed Arizona Republican Party Chair Jeff DeWitt attempting to bribe Kari Lake not to run for U.S. Senate in exchange for a generous salary or another job opportunity. 

According to Daily Mail, the recorded conversation took place in March 2023, where DeWitt claimed there were “powerful” individuals opposing Lake.

“There are very powerful people who want to keep you out,” DeWitt declared. “So the ask I got today from back east was: ‘Is there any companies out there or something that could just put her on the payroll to keep her out?’”

In a later part of the audio, DeWitt hinted at a specific amount, asking Lake, “Just say, is there a number at which….” Lake interrupted, stating, “I can be brought? That’s what it’s about.” 

However, DeWitt pleaded with Lake, suggesting: “You can take a pause for a couple of years. You can go right back to what you’re doing.” But Lake interjected again, emphasizing her lack of interest in monetary gain. “This is not about money, it’s about our country,” she added. 

Lake urged DeWitt to publicly acknowledge the attempts by certain individuals to dissuade her from running. DeWitt, however, firmly rejected the idea, responding with, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no.” 

During CPAC 2023, Lake hinted that she had been approached with attempts to bribe her not to run for office following her loss in the 2022 Arizona governor’s race.

“This person standing before me was sent at the request of some powerful people back East,” Lake declared in March 2023. “They want me out of politics.”

On Tuesday, Lake called on DeWitt to resign as party chair following the emergence of the audio. “He’s gotta resign. We can’t have somebody who is corrupt and compromised running the Republican Party,” Lake said in an interview with NBC reporter.

Lake ran for governor in 2022, but lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs. She has refused to concede that race, citing what she rebuked as election interference and voter fraud.

She faced opposition from the Republican establishment, including then-Gov. Doug Ducey and Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom endorsed Lake’s primary opponent, Karrin Taylor Robson. 

Despite earlier rumors of being a favorite for the Trump 2024 ticket, Lake declared her candidacy for the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat now running as an independent.

Iran to Lead U.N. Conference on Nuclear Disarmament

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Iran to Lead U.N. Conference on Nuclear Disarmament

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Iran, the leading country that supports terrorist states, was scheduled to lead the United Nations Conference on Disarmament from March 18-29 and May 13-24, 2024.

The U.N. disarmament conference is presided over by one of the 65 member countries each year, with each country serving as conference president for four working weeks, according to the Daily Wire. The role rotates among the members in alphabetical order. Among other countries that will serve as conference presidents this year are India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland and Israel.

The news source also reported that the Conference on Disarmament is the U.N. body that is responsible for negotiating nuclear disarmament treaties and some other weapons agreements.

In recent decades, concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions has grown, especially as the regime became more aggressive in the Middle East through a network of terror groups.

Last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a U.N. nuclear watchdog organization, warned that Tehran, the capital of the country, has likely stockpiled enough enriched Uranium to make several nuclear warheads. IAEA inspectors have been attempting to gain access to Iran’s stockpiles of nuclear material for inspection, but the Iranian authorities prevented them from doing so.

“Though it may be drowned out due to all the other bad news out of the Middle East involving Iran, the regime is getting closer and closer to establishing itself as a threshold nuclear state. If anything, Iran seems to be capitalizing on all the mayhem in the Middle East, mayhem which Washington has failed to curb or manage well, to press ahead in what appears to be a quest for the ultimate deterrent,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said.

The terrorists from Hamas who were backed by Iran invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023, which led to the death of roughly 1,200 Israelis and the capture of hundreds more. In addition to that, people from other countries who were visiting Israel were murdered and captured as well.

Iran also recently stepped up direct attacks on its neighbors in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.

‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ‘Wizard of Oz’ Will Get Woke Reboots

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ‘Wizard of Oz’ Will Get Woke Reboots

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Both The Wizard of Oz and It’s a Wonderful Life will be rebooted for the woke audience by changing the race of the main characters — from white to non-white.

Hollywood writer Kenya Barris became notorious for writing and directing movies and TV shows that are explicitly anti-white, like TV shows #BlackAF and Black-ish and movies You People and the remake of White Men Can’t Jump, according to Blaze Media.

After making these race-centered movies and shows, Barris went on to use the masterpieces from the 1930s and 1940s to destroy him.

For example, The Wizard of Oz will take place in an apartment complex in Inglewood, Calif., called the Bottoms, where the new black “Dorothy” will live.

“The original ‘Wizard of Oz’ took place during the Great Depression, and it was about self-reliance and what people were going through. I think this is the perfect time to switch the characters and talk about what someone imagines their life could be,” Barris said.

He then talked more about how important it is to replace white characters with non-white characters.

“I think that this is the best time to turn a mirror on society because we need to see ourselves, and I want to do it with diverse characters… I wanted to make people think, but also make them feel good, and also make people feel seen who hadn’t felt seen,” he said.

In addition to that, It’s a Wonderful Life will be rebooted as well, with Barris saying that the plot of the movie is a perfect story to be portrayed by an actor who has “black or brown” skin.

“It’s a guy who’s trying to help out his community and things are going to turn around on him. I think that’s the perfect story to tell for a person of color — black or brown — to get into that because our communities have some issues and someone trying to help that community out. I think that’s the perfect vehicle to tell that story from,” he said.

Election Denier Biden Calls Terry McAuliffe Virginia’s ‘Real Governor’  

Luis Cornelio
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Election Denier Biden Calls Terry McAuliffe Virginia’s ‘Real Governor’  

(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President Joe Biden has ignited widespread criticism by dubbing Terry McAuliffe, the failed 2022 Virginia gubernatorial candidate, as the purported “real governor.”

During a Monday campaign speech, Biden took a swipe at Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, by hailing his defeated opponent.

“Hello, Virginia! And the real governor, Terry McAuliffe!” Biden Biden asserted without indicating jest, prompting online viewers to call out the demonstrably false claim.

McAuliffe, a former Virginia governor, lost a second non-consecutive term to Youngkin in the November 2021 election, with Youngkin securing 50.6% (1,663,596) of the votes. However, McAuliffe received a mere 48.7% (1,600,116) of the total tally.

Biden’s declaration of McAuliffe as the governor of Virginia departs from Democrats’ superficial condemnation of so-called election denialism, further exposing a double standard in the scrutiny of election results.

Similar hypocrisy played out in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, as Democrat Stacey Abrams declined to concede to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. 

The tide shifted after the 2020 presidential election when former President Donald Trump and his supporters asserted the election was stolen. Media headlines quickly labeled Republicans questioning the election as “election deniers,” with Democrats portraying them as so-called threats to democracy. 

In contrast, Democrats facing unfavorable results are not subject to the same level of scrutiny. According to a compilation by RNC Research, there are nearly 24 minutes of Democrats questioning election results when Republicans emerge victorious. Another report highlights over 150 instances of Democrats denying election outcomes.

Twitter users didn’t overlook the hypocrisy, mockingly urging the FBI to investigate Biden for an alleged “insurrection.” One tweet specifically read: “Please raid 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.” 

These jokes reference the federal investigation into Trump over alleged obstruction related to the certification of the 2020 election. 

Responding to the controversy, Youngkin shared a video on Twitter, saying, “Mr. President, I’m right here.” Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., echoed Youngkin’s sentiments, stating, “Joe Biden is an election denier in more ways than one.”

Michael Seifert, CEO and co-founder of Public Square, sarcastically remarked, “Denying election results means you’re an insurrectionist and is worse than 9/11 and Pearl Harbor combined.” 

Other critics joined in the mockery of Biden, highlighting the apparent hypocrisy of his claim:

Trump Makes History w/ Back-to-Back Wins as Non-Incumbent, Biden Appears to Win Write-In

Editor 1
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Trump Makes History w/ Back-to-Back Wins as Non-Incumbent, Biden Appears to Win Write-In

(Headline USA) On the heels of the largest margin of victory for a non-incumbent in the Iowa caucuses, former President Donald Trump notched another historic win by becoming the first non-incumbent GOP candidate to win both the Iowa and New Hampshire nominating contests since both states began leading the election calendar in 1976.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, won New Hampshire’s Democratic primary via a write-in effort after the state party moved forward with its own contest. Biden did not appear on the ballot but allies helped him beat a series of little-known challengers after the Democratic National Committee pressured more serious contenders from entering the race.

Trump’s decisive victory over his former U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley—the last major GOP challenger left standing—bolstered the likelihood of a rematch later this year against President Joe Biden—assuming Biden becomes the eventual Democratic nominee.

“Nikki Haley said she’s running to stop the re-election of Harris–Biden,” wrote Taylor Budowich, CEO of Make America Great Again Inc., in a statement following Trump’s win.

“Yet, without a viable path to victory, every day she stays in this race is another day she delivers to the Harris–Biden campaign,” Budowich continued. “It’s time for unity, it’s time to take the fight to the Democrats, and for Nikki Haley: it’s time to drop out.”

The result was a setback for Haley, who invested significant time and financial resources into winning the state but finished second. After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ended his presidential bid over the weekend and endorsed the former president, she had campaigned as the sole alternative to Trump.

By posting easy wins in both early states, Trump is demonstrating an ability to unite the GOP’s factions firmly behind him. He’s garnered support from the evangelical conservatives who are influential in Iowa and New Hampshire’s more moderate voters, strength he hopes to replicate as the primary quickly expands to the rest of the U.S.

Haley was unable to capitalize on New Hampshire’s more moderate political tradition. Now, her path to becoming the GOP standard-bearer is narrowing quickly. She won’t compete in a contest that awards delegates until South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary.

As the state’s former governor, she’s hoping a strong showing there could propel her into the March 5 Super Tuesday contests. But in a deeply conservative state where Trump is exceedingly popular, those ambitions may be tough to realize and a home-state loss could prove politically devastating.

Many of the state’s current leaders joined Trump onstage over the weekend to show their support, and he received a key endorsement from Sen. Tim Scott, whom Haley had originally appointed to his seat.

Nonetheless, Haley vowed Tuesday night to stay in the race and push ahead to South Carolina.

“New Hampshire is first in the nation; it is not the last in the nation,” she said. “This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go.”

Some NeverTrumpers hold out hope that the multiple lawfare attacks against Trump will begin to erode his base of support if he is indicted. Thus far, the 91 counts against him from far-left prosecutors have only served to reinforce his supporters’ determination while bringing sympathetic new supporters into his camp.

As Trump begins to pivot his attention to Biden and a general election campaign, the question is whether the former president’s framing of the legal cases will persuade voters beyond the GOP base. He has faced particular struggles in suburban communities from Georgia to Pennsylvania to Arizona that could prove decisive in the fall campaign.

Although currently leading Biden in all of the major swing states, questions remain as to whether it will be sufficient to overcome the systemic vote fraud that leftists have only been able to perfect since the stolen 2020 election, when they were able to reverse the then-sitting president’s election-night victories by flooding several key blue-run cities and counties with mail-in ballots.

Beyond the political vulnerabilities associated with the criminal cases, Trump faces a logistical challenge in balancing trials and campaigning.

He has frequently appeared voluntarily at a New York courtroom where a jury is considering whether he should pay additional damages to Manhattan socialite and gossip columnist E. Jean Carroll. Last year, Carroll—who is being funded by anti-Trump billionaire Reid Hoffman and advised by lawyer George Conway—won a $5 million jury award—stemming from an event she claimed had occurred in the mid-1990s.

Trump has turned these appearances into campaign events, holding televised news conferences that give him an opportunity to spread his message to a large audience.

He has no choice but to appear in court when the criminal cases begin, which could happen later this spring.

Biden faces his own challenges, though of a different magnitude. There are widespread concerns about his age at 81 years old. Dissent is also building within his party over Biden’s alliance with Israel in its war against Hamas, putting the president’s standing at risk in swing states like Michigan.

Biden championed new DNC rules that have its 2024 primary beginning on Feb. 3 in South Carolina, rather than in Iowa or New Hampshire. That left him in something of an awkward position at the outset of the nomination process.

But Democrats in New Hampshire defied the revamped order and held their primary on Tuesday, same as the Republicans.

Biden didn’t campaign, giving the state’s Democrats the chance to support primary challengers including Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson—though many of New Hampshire’s top Democrats backed a write-in campaign that Biden could still win.

Trump traveled frequently to New Hampshire in the months leading up to the primary but didn’t spend as much time in the state as many of his rivals.

That included former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a fierce Trump critic who enjoyed some popularity in the state but suspended his campaign mere days before Iowa’s caucuses in an attempt to blunt the former president’s momentum.

Rather than the traditional approach of greeting voters personally or in small groups, Trump has staged large rallies, befitting his larger-than-life stature as one of America’s greatest presidents.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

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