Biden campaign writes off Nikki Haley’s chances as it turns ‘laser focus’ on Trump

With Donald Trump appearing to have a cemented himself as the Republican Party’s preferred candidate in their effort to retake control of the White House, President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign is moving into a general election mode that will see him and his allies ramp up their attacks on the ex-president and present voters with the choice of four more years of stability versus a descent into Trumpian extremism.

Top officials with Mr Biden’s campaign say the results of last night’s New Hampshire primary combined with last week’s Iowa caucus make clear that it is Mr Trump — not ex-South Carolina governor Nikki Haley — who will be their opponent in November’s presidential election, and are directing their resources accordingly.

Speaking on a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, just hours after Mr Trump garnered support of more than 54 per cent of GOP voters in the Granite State, Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said Mr Biden’s re-election apparatus wasn’t paying much mind to Ms Haley in the wake of Mr Trump’s twin victories.

“We’re just looking at the reality of the data in front of us,” said Mr Tyler, who added that the campaign has been preparing for a rematch with Mr Trump since the 46th president launched his re-election bid last April.

“Coming off of Iowa and New Hampshire, you have Donald Trump who’s fully consolidated the extreme Maga base of the party and is marching towards the nomination. So this campaign is now laser focused on presenting that direct choice to the American people because it’s real at this point in time,” he said.

Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said the first-in-the-nation Republican primary results “confirm that Donald Trump has all been