Trump joined South Carolina leaders at the rally

Donald Trump surrounded himself with leaders from Nikki Haley's home state in a show of force ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Trump was joined on Saturday evening at a rally at NHU Arena in Manchester by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, the state's lieutenant governor and a host of other senior officials, including the U.S. attorney general, treasurer and speaker of the state House of Representatives. . State officials, along with US Representatives Joe Wilson, William Timmons and Russell Frey, appeared on stage alongside Trump.

“Almost every politician in South Carolina supports me,” Trump said.

South Carolinians urged voters to see Trump win in New Hampshire before voting takes place in their state, with the first runoff elections scheduled for next month.

“If you do that and get a big win here, we'll get the job done in South Carolina,” South Carolina House Speaker Muriel Smith said.

These appearances are another blow for South Carolina against M^I Haley, who hopes her appeal among independent and unaffiliated voters will propel her to a strong enough finish in New Hampshire to turn the race into a two-man race against Trump.

This comes a day after Trump received support from South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who joined him at a rally in Concord. Mr. Scott abandoned his bid for the Republican nomination in November. About ten years ago, M^I Haley, then their state's governor, elevated Mr. Scott from the House to senator, making him one of the most prominent black Republicans in the country.

Mr. McMaster and other senior officials have previously supported Trump. M^I Haley's relations have soured noticeably with many of her state's Republican influencers, even though she was elected governor twice — defeating Mr. McMaster in a GOP primary for the first time.

Her response on Saturday made it clear that she had not forgotten this rivalry.

“I'm sorry, is this the person I ran against for governor and beat? I'm just checking,” she said.

Campaign manager M. said:^I Betsy Ankney of Haley also snubbed her appearance at the Bloomberg News event, insisting the endorsement was “never Nikki's game.”

A look back at the events at the Capitol

On Saturday, Trump repeatedly denounced election laws put in place by Mr^I Haley and New Hampshire, which allow non-party-affiliated voters to participate in the Republican or Democratic primary. The state's more moderate voters are expected to make the contest much closer than in the first race in Iowa.

“Don't listen to the polls. Get out and vote. We need a big victory against these terrible people,” Trump said.

M^I Meanwhile, Haley on Saturday pointed out the mistake Trump made during his rally the day before.

Trump has repeatedly suggested that M^I Haley was responsible for providing security at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to prevent the certification of his election defeat. M^I Haley was not in the Capitol that day. Trump has consistently downplayed his team's failure to keep the Capitol secure or its delay in trying to repel rioters.

“They say he was wrong. He said he was talking about something else, that he was talking about Nancy Pelosi^I Haley. When you have to deal with the pressures of the presidency, we can't have anyone else to wonder who is mentally qualified to do it. »

“It's a distinction without a difference. It's Nicky and Nancy,” Chris Lacivita, a senior Trump campaign adviser, told reporters Saturday evening. “What's the difference? »

Although their state's top Republican officials and much of New Hampshire's congressional delegation defended Trump this week, some voters in South Carolina were undeterred from supporting other candidates.

“I'm a strong Republican and I vote for Republicans because I think they have a lot in common with the support of the United States and the ordinary citizens of the United States,” Sandra Chase said after an event for Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis in Lexington. South Carolina, Saturday afternoon.

Mr. DeSantis, who just finished second in Iowa, has turned some of his attention away from New Hampshire, where independent voters in the state appear to be offering more openness to Mr. DeSantis.^I Haley. Instead, he will campaign this weekend in South Carolina.

M^I Chase said she had previously supported Trump, but wanted to go in a different direction this year.

“I just want to pick the best candidate, and I think the best candidate is Ron DeSantis,” she said. But I mean everyone is allowed to support whoever they want. »

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