Nikki Haley has finally dropped out. But she still doesn’t think Donald Trump will win

Nikki Haley’s departure from the 2024 presidential race leaves Donald Trump as the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party once again — or still, if you listen to his supporters, who argue that such has been the case for weeks.

The former governor of South Carolina made her exit from the campaign on Wednesday morning in Charleston, where just a few weeks ago she had watched as Mr Trump won a decisive victory in the state where she built her career. She thanked her supporters, giving particular mention to the young women who supported her as she made history as the first woman to win a statewide Republican primary contest.

Victories in Washington DC and on Super Tuesday in Vermont left Ms Haley in a position of clear distinction in comparison with her fallen rivals Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott and Chris Christie. But she was clearly left in the dust by her opponent, who seems likely to claim the lion’s share of the more than 800 delegates up for grabs this week.

However, there was little indication of any plans by Ms Haley in her concession speech to “kiss the ring”, as she had called it a few weeks ago, and endorse Mr Trump for the presidency. It was a note that may have come as a surprise to some of the governor’s more cynical critics both in the GOP and Democratic Party, many of whom expected her to bend the knee and endorse the former president as Mr DeSantis, Mr Scott and Mr Ramaswamy all had done. Instead Ms Haley insisted that it was now on the former president to “earn” the support of the anti-Trump faction of the GOP represented by her campaign.

One revealing line in her speech on Wednesday seemed to say it all: “In all likelihood”, Donald Trump will be the nominee of the Republican Party, Ms