Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called the suggestion from RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to drop out “inappropriate,” insisting that she’s staying in the race "for the long haul."
The former South Carolina governor’s remark came during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, who asked about McDaniel’s comments after the New Hampshire primary where former President Donald Trump defeated Haley by double digits.
"This has been a great contest, but I think there's some history that was made tonight. We have never had a nominee in our party that has won without winning both — without winning either Iowa or New Hampshire. Donald Trump is the first ever to win both,” McDaniel said.
“I'm looking at the math and the path going forward, and I don’t see it for Nikki Haley,” she added. “I think she's run a great campaign, but I do think there's a message that's coming out from the voters which is very clear. We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump, and we need to make sure we beat Joe Biden.”
Haley emphasized that only two states have voted so far.
“You need 1,215 delegates,” she told Tapper. “Donald Trump has 32, I have 17. We still have 48 states and more territories to go before we get there. I’m not going anywhere, Jake. I am going to continue to go all the way through South Carolina, then we’re going to go on to Super Tuesday and we’re going to keep on going forward."
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She said the current "chaos" cannot continue and neither Trump nor President Biden can "get our domestic policy on track," prevent further foreign entanglements, and keep Americans safe.
"Americans are telling people that," she added. "We need to start listening and make sure that we focus on what it takes to win a primary so that we can get our country back on track.”
NEW: Full Interview between Jake Tapper of CNN and Nikki Haley, discussing a new poll conducted by the news network which shows her defeating both Donald Trump and Joe Biden in a hypothetical general election. pic.twitter.com/pZPl5cDKKK
— Craig R. Brittain (@RealBrittain) February 1, 2024
(The exchange begins around the 7:30 mark)
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