DeSantis drops out as Trump and Haley face off in New Hampshire

Summary

The 2024 Republican presidential primary race has narrowed to two candidates, former president Donald Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. With the New Hampshire primary a day away, Trump holds a double digit lead in the polls but Haley still aims to appeal to independent voters who could help her pull off an upset. Haley has ramped up attacks on Trump's mental fitness and age while Trump touts endorsements, but voters seem concerned with larger issues like the economy and immigration.

Takeaways

• Florida governor Ron DeSantis dropped out and endorsed Trump, consolidating establishment GOP support behind the former president
• Trump leads Haley by over 15 points in the latest New Hampshire polls
• Haley hopes to sway the state's independent "undeclared" voters to vote in the GOP primary
• Haley has questioned Trump's mental acuity while Trump made a gaffe confusing her with Nancy Pelosi
• Many GOP voters are concerned about issues like the economy, immigration and the opioid crisis
• Haley likely needs to keep the margin to single digits to remain viable after New Hampshire
• Trump maintains strength in upcoming primaries in South Carolina and Super Tuesday states
• Some see Haley as an underdog with a difficult path to winning the nomination
• Voters on both sides express pessimism about the future direction of the country
• Local newspaper endorsed Haley as a 'fireball from the heavens' to defeat the 'dinosaurs' Biden and Trump

Q & A

Who are the two remaining Republican candidates after Ron DeSantis dropped out?

The two remaining candidates are former president Donald Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

What is Trump's current polling lead over Haley in New Hampshire?

Trump leads Haley by over 15 points in the latest New Hampshire polls.

What voting bloc is key to a potential Haley upset victory?

Haley hopes to sway the state's independent "undeclared" voters to vote in the GOP primary to help her pull off an upset over Trump.

What new line of attack has Haley employed against Trump?

Haley has questioned Trump's mental acuity and fitness for office while highlighting his age and cognitive decline.

What issues matter most to voters in the New Hampshire GOP primary?

Many Republican voters are concerned about issues like the economy, immigration, the opioid crisis and a general pessimism about the future direction of the country.

What margin does Haley likely need to keep in New Hampshire to remain viable?

Haley likely needs to keep the margin to single digits behind Trump to remain viable after the New Hampshire primary.

Where does Trump maintain his greatest strengths looking ahead?

Trump maintains strength in upcoming primaries in South Carolina and Super Tuesday states based on polling and endorsements.

How do analysts view Haley's path forward to win the nomination?

Some analysts see Haley as an underdog with a difficult path to winning the Republican nomination at this stage.

How did a local New Hampshire newspaper characterize Biden and Trump?

A local newspaper called Biden and Trump "dinosaurs" and characterized Haley as a "fireball from the heavens" to defeat them.

What indication is there of voter optimism about the 2024 election?

There are few signs of optimism - voters on both sides express pessimism about the future direction of the country in surveys.

Outlines

00:00

Ron DeSantis Drops Out, Endorses Trump in 2-Person GOP Primary

With the New Hampshire primary a day away, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has dropped out and endorsed Donald Trump. Polling shows Trump leading Nikki Haley in NH, but independents who can vote in the GOP primary offer a path to victory for Haley. Trump picked up another endorsement from Senator Tim Scott after DeSantis exited.

05:01

Nikki Haley Steps Up Attacks Questioning Trump's Mental Fitness

The GOP race is now down to Trump vs. Haley. Haley has sharply questioned Trump's mental fitness and age. Trump confused Haley with Pelosi when talking about January 6. Haley needs to overperform with independent voters in NH to have a chance. Donors are watching to see if they should fund Haley going forward.

Keywords

💡primary

A primary election is the process by which voters select their party's nominee for an elected position like president. The video focuses on the upcoming New Hampshire Republican primary where voters will choose between Donald Trump and Nikki Haley as the Republican nominee for president in 2024. The winner of this primary could secure the nomination or continue on to face more primaries in other states.

💡independent voters

Independent voters, also referred to as 'Undeclared voters', do not officially align with either major political party. They make up the largest voting block in New Hampshire and can vote in either party's primary. Winning over these independent voters is seen as crucial to victory in the New Hampshire primary, so both Trump and Haley are courting their support.

💡endorsement

An endorsement is when a political figure publicly declares support for a candidate. Key endorsements from someone like Ron DeSantis, who just ended his own campaign, can influence voters. Trump has racked up endorsements from over half of Congressional Republicans, while Haley attacks his mental fitness.

💡path to victory

A candidate's path to victory refers to the route or strategy they will follow to win the nomination and eventually the general election. While Trump leads in polling, some perceive Haley having a potential path to victory by swaying independent voters. Her attacks on Trump could be part of this strategy.

💡political capital

Political capital refers to the public influence, connections, and credibility built up by a politician. DeSantis likely timed his endorsement to preserve his political capital rather than stay in the race longer and lose badly in early primaries which would damage his brand.

💡pessimism

Pessimism refers to a negative outlook on the future or current state of affairs. The video notes a sense of deep pessimism among voters about where the country is headed, which could favor candidates who tap into frustration rather than optimism.

💡opioid crisis

New Hampshire and other states face major issues with opioid addiction and overdoses. Voters mention immigration policy in relation to the flow of dangerous opioids like Fentanyl across the southern border, making border security an important election issue.

💡fundraising

Fundraising refers to candidates bringing in financial donations and support to fund their campaigns. DeSantis lacked money to compete long-term, while Haley needs to use a potential strong showing in New Hampshire to convince donors to pour millions into her campaign before Super Tuesday primaries.

💡Super Tuesday

Super Tuesday refers to an early March batch of primary elections held in over a dozen states simultaneously. Performing strongly in New Hampshire could help propel the winner into Super Tuesday and build further momentum, making it a critically important early primary.

💡nomination

The Republican party nomination refers to becoming the official party candidate in the 2024 presidential election. New Hampshire represents a critical chance for candidates like Haley to position themselves to win the ultimate nomination and take on the Democratic nominee.

Highlights

Ron DeSantis drops out of the 2024 presidential race and endorses Trump, making it a two person race between Trump and Nikki Haley.

Latest polling shows Trump leading Haley by over 15 points in New Hampshire, but undeclared independent voters could swing the race.

This may be the last chance for old school Republicans and independents who don't want another Trump-Biden general election.

DeSantis says most Republican voters want to give Trump another chance, admitting he doesn't have the momentum to continue.

Haley questions Trump's mental fitness for office as he seems to confuse her with Nancy Pelosi.

Over half of Republicans in Congress have endorsed Trump, raising questions over whether he's now the establishment candidate.

Voters are deeply pessimistic about the future and want something different, but are split between supporting Trump and Haley.

Haley needs to massively overperform with independent voters to have a chance against Trump's lead.

Donors are watching to see if Haley can overperform in New Hampshire before committing millions to her campaign.

Immigration is a top issue for Republican voters due to concerns over fentanyl and the opioid crisis.

If Haley finishes within single digits of Trump, she may continue her campaign into South Carolina.

Local newspaper endorsed Haley as a "fireball from the heavens" to defeat the "dinosaur" candidates Biden and Trump.

DeSantis' withdrawal protects his political capital if he decides to run for president again in 2028.

Haley believes she still has strength in her home state of South Carolina to continue her campaign.

Endorsements from newspapers don't hold as much sway as they used to with voters.

Transcripts

we're going to begin with a major

shakeup though in the 2024 election have

you heard with the New Hampshire primary

just a day away Florida Governor Ron de

santis is out he has endorsed former

president Donald Trump and now it is

officially a two-person race to become

the Republican Presidential nominee the

latest polling shows Trump with a big

advantage in New Hampshire with just

over half of the projected Republican

vote Nikki Haley is at just under 35%

but there's a potential path for victory

for her Tony is leading our teamach

bridge in Manchester New Hampshire Tony

good morning what's

up hey good morning guys this is like

the political version of the NFL

playoffs and perhaps the last best hope

for old school Republicans who are still

dreaming for an end of the Donald Trump

era and for Independents too who don't

want to see another Trump Biden general

election there are a lot of them we're

at bookery Manchester it's a bookstore

here in New Hampshire's biggest city

might hear the latte machine going

behind me we've been all over the state

though we've been ice skating in

Portsmouth we've been skiing in Guilford

for grocery shopping and dairy and all

the time we're talking to voters you

know me and they are as freeth thinking

really as the state motto suggests Live

Free or Die and that's the wild card

here Independents known as Undeclared

voters are the biggest voting Block in

the state and they are allowed to

participate in the Republican primary if

they so choose so even though Donald

Trump does maintain a double digigit

lead over Nikki Haley she may still have

a shot if she can turn out those people

in the middle coming up in just a moment

we're going to hear from folks about how

the economy is affecting their vote it's

not good but first we're going to begin

with Caitlyn huy Burns who's also here

in Manchester with me following the

candidates final arguments Caitlyn good

to see you I know things must be getting

closer because they're getting uglier

yeah good to see you Good morning Tony

they certainly are the race is almost

here and with just one day to go the

race is now down to just two candidates

Nikki Haley versus Donald Trump and with

that race coming up they have really

been ramping up attacks knowing that

this race could potentially be for all

intents and purposes the

last can you hear that

sound that's the sound of a two-person

race Nikki Haley visibly upbeat after

the announcement from Florida Governor

Ronda santis Sunday that he was ending

his presidential campaign it's clear to

me that a majority of Republican primary

voters want to give Donal Trump another

chance I just want to thank Ron Donald

Trump acknowledged his now former rival

while picking up another key endorsement

from South Carolina Senator Tim Scott

we the move was a snub to the former

South Carolina governor who sharpened

her attacks questioning Trump's mental

Fitness for office these things happen

because the more you age it just does

you're you have decline after the

77-year-old seem to confuse Haley with

former house Speaker Nancy Pelosi when

talking about January 6th Nicki Haley is

in charge of security we offered her

10,000 people soldiers National Guard

whatever they want they turned it down

still Trump has the support of over half

the republicans in Congress including

New York congresswoman Alise stefanic

does that mean that Donald Trump is the

establishment candidate of the

Republican party no it means that we are

unifying behind him that's where the

voters are and speaking of Voters we

talked to neighbors and longtime friends

Doug Krauss and Kevin St Pierre as they

shared a beer I'm supporting Trump uh

Nikki Haley for me it's been Trump all

along I would like to see him dial it

down maybe a little bit but I applaud I

think he's an honest guy um and what he

says he

did no we we we love each

other I just laughing because when he

says he's an honest guy which I think

opposite I wish that uh there'd be less

um I don't want to say hatred but people

could do this and just have difference

of opinion and keep it

civil joining Caitlyn and I now to break

down tomorrow's primary is our CBS News

Chief election and caign correspondent

Robert Costa Bob good morning thanks for

being here all right so Ronda santis

drops out he endorses Trump he takes a

parting shot at Nikki Haley calls her

warmed over corporatism how is that

going to affect the race and what are

you hearing about the timing why do you

do it now there were discussions among

DeSantis allies for a long time about

whether he had a path ahead and

ultimately there was an acknowledgement

by D santis his wife Casey and his top

allies that he just didn't have the

money to go on the momentum to go not

only into New Hampshire but into South

Carolina into Super Tuesday in early

March the time he now protects his

political Capital should he want to run

again for president in 2028 or later

yeah and Caitlyn Nikki Haley stepping up

her attacks against Donald Trump

bringing up the age thing something I've

heard a lot about from voters they are

concerned how can that have an effect is

it too little too late well New

Hampshire is kind of a place for

underdogs because uh it's fertile ground

you mentioned those independent voters

but Republican operatives I talked to

say that she does still have a real

uphill climb here if she wants to make

it close with Donald Trump she really

has to overperform among independent

voters and it's a nuanced group if you

remember Donald Trump actually won

independent voters in 2016 and he won

the nomination and the rest is history

so she's been stepping up the attacks by

will say Undeclared voters I've been

talking to want to see her be more

aggressive even more so even more

aggressive you know who else is watching

donors they want to see if Haley can

perform here or overperform as Caitlyn

said then they will start to pour

Millions into her campaign try to set

her up for super Tuesday okay so that's

the messaging that's the money part of

things but CIT also been talking to

voters about the issues that matter to

them put the horse race over here what

what do people care about well we are M

several thousand miles away from the

southern border but immigration is

coming up over and over again among

Republican voters I talked to mainly

because of Fentanyl and the opioid

crisis here also just generally Tony

talking to voters you sense this real

pessimism about the future about the way

things are going people on both sides

that I've talked to want something

different yeah it is deep it is Abiding

and Bob I am curious you know is this

make or break for Nikki Haley if she

takes second place of this distant a

distant second place is she done the

margin people on the inside of politics

are watching is can she get single

digits if she's within nine or less of

trump maybe she can carry on and have a

c but if she's 10 more behind Trump it's

hard to say she really has a path to the

nomination at this point though for

Haley she still thinks she has strength

in her home state of South Carolina so

if she gets you know 10 or 12 points

behind Trump she still may decide to

stay in the race and hang tough all

right Bob Kaitlin thank you both very

much really appreciate it guys as I send

it back to you in New York I used to

work in a coffee shop I might hop behind

the counter make a few cappuccinos one

more thing I want to point out the union

leader here newspaper in Manchester I

get endorsements aren't what they used

to be from newspapers but they had a

very colorful one yesterday they quoted

Jurassic Park the movie always a win in

my book and said Biden and Trump are

dinosaurs they endorsed Haley and said

she's the quote Fireball from the

Heavens to wipe them out points for

color that support local news that's my

reaction to that Tony uh and I support

you getting behind the counter and

Brewing up some coffee thank you very

much my friend will talk to you in just

a little bit