Donald Trump (L); Joe Biden.
Credit: Reuters File Photos
A Donald Trump comeback is looking increasingly possible. Many contenders for the Republican nomination for the 2024 US presidential election had dropped out even ahead of the primary season, and after Florida Governor Ron de Santis exited the race after the first of the primaries at Iowa, it was just Trump and the former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in the field. But Trump's decisive win in the key New Hampshire primary makes it near-certain that come November, it will be the former President vs incumbent President Joe Biden facing off in the election. Belying the expectation and hopes of sections of the Republican party as well as powerful donors that she was the best bet to best Trump in the race for the party’s nomination and take on Biden, Haley, who was the Trump administration’s Ambassador to the United Nations, was 11 percentage points behind her former boss when the votes in Tuesday's primary were tallied, winning 43% to his 54%. The New Hampshire primary was crucial for Haley's chances because it was her best shot at winning a state as Republicans there tend to be more centrist than Trump supporters. In opinion polls, it was the only state where the gap between her and Trump was narrow enough to bet on her winning. But Trump proved that the issues on which he drove his first campaign -- immigration and the economy and his anti-abortion stance -- remain central to Republicans, including in this east coast state.
Haley's description of Trump as someone who would only lead the country into chaos -- “We can’t have a country in disarray in a world on fire, and be dealing with four years of chaos” -- clearly did not find enough takers. Her own solid record in politics and government did not count, either.
After Iowa, it appears that the core Republican base has started consolidating behind Trump. His campaign in New Hampshire benefited enormously from a pointedly timed endorsement by a South Carolina senator. Most think that Haley's campaign for the Republican ticket is all but over except, it seems, Haley herself. Much to the surprise of her supporters and Trump's chagrin, Haley, who was born to Sikh immigrants from India, has said she will not drop out of the race, and has pitched high her chances of trouncing him in her home state South Carolina primary in February. The world can only watch as this battle unfolds. To be sure, Trump still faces several lawsuits and nearly 100 felony charges for trying to subvert the vote and inciting the rioting on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. A conviction on any of these could still alter the game.