Trump tells Joe Biden ‘You’re fired’ as he wins South Carolina Republican primary
Donald Trump has derided his rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Nikki Haley, after the Charles Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Action donor network announced it would no longer be supporting her campaign after she lost the South Carolina primary.
A gleeful Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday that Mr Koch and his partners “got played for suckers right from the beginning”.
The GOP front-runner delivered a rambling victory speech after his fourth straight primary win on Saturday, deliberately neglecting to even mention Ms Haley as he turned his sights on Joe Biden, telling the president: “You’re fired!”
Earlier in the day, Mr Trump had addressed CPAC and compared himself to the notorious Depression-era gangster Al Capone, likened illegal immigrants to Hannibal Lecter – warning they threatened to bring fresh waves of crime to the United States – and boasted about refusing to step aside despite his ever-mounting legal problems.
The candidate is meanwhile facing a cash crunch as deadlines loom on two court-ordered financial payouts: the $454m (including interest) he owes in the New York fraud case and the $83.3m defamation damages he owes to sexual assault accuser E Jean Carroll.
CPAC: Trump previews Biden attacks in rambling 90-minute keynote speech
Before all that, Trump gave his customary headline address at to CPAC on Saturday, in which he delivered a taste of his likely attack lines against Joe Biden
Here’s Eric Garcia’s review.
Joe Sommerlad26 February 2024 12:30
South Carolina primary: Haley’s home state comeback didn’t materialise. Now what?
Here’s John Bowden’s analysis on what Saturday’s result means for Trump’s dogged opponent, who is down but still not definitively out.
Joe Sommerlad26 February 2024 12:00
South Carolina primary: Trump supporters boo Lindsey Graham at victory party
Trump took to the stage roughly 10 minutes after the close of polls in South Carolina on Saturday night and introduced Republican senator Lindsey Graham, describing him as “a little bit further left than some people on this stage”.
“I always say, when I’m in trouble on the left, I call up Lindsey Graham and he straightens it out so fast,” he said, as loud boos unexpectedly erupted, the crowd incensed by the very idea of someone being “a little bit further left”.
“No, no. Remember, I love him, he’s a good man,” said Trump as he tried to soothe his supporters’ fury.
“Come up here Lindsey.”
Namita Singh reports on another worrying moment for moderate Republicans concerned about the MAGA takeover of their party.
Joe Sommerlad26 February 2024 11:30
South Carolina primary: Haley says she has ‘duty’ to stay in race despite latest loss
The former South Carolina governor vowed to fight on to Super Tuesday on 5 March, as she has consistently done, but things really are starting to look beyond hopeless for her now, particularly with high-profile donors beginning to desert.
You can see more from her latest concession speech below.
Nikki Haley says ‘I have duty’ to stay in race despite latest defeat to Trump
Nikki Haley believes she “has a duty” to challenge for the Republican presidential nomination, despite defeat to Donald Trump in the South Carolina primary. Addressing supporters on Saturday night (24 February), Ms Haley framed her candidacy as an alternative for the voters who do not want to see a rematch between Mr Trump and Joe Biden in November. “I said earlier this week that no matter what happens in South Carolina, I would continue to run for president. I’m a woman of my word,” Ms Haley said. “In the next 10 days, another 21 states and territories will speak….
This article was originally published by a www.independent.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .