Trump's last Republican rival Nikki Haley drops out of presidential race

Donald Trump and President Joe Biden look poised to go head to head in November, ITV News' Correspondent Robert Moore reports

Donald Trump is poised to be the only Republican candidate running for president as his last rival Nikki Haley formally announced the end to her campaign.

"I said I wanted Americans to have their voices heard. I have done that. I have no regrets," she said from South Carolina on Wednesday.

"Although I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in."

Her departure clears Trump to focus solely on his likely rematch in November with Biden.

Haley, who was Trump’s first significant rival when she jumped into the race in February 2023, had vowed to stay in the running until Super Tuesday despite a number of dismal outings in the polls.

But, after Trump won 14 out of 15 Republican primary elections on Tuesday, her campaign has been left with nowhere to go.

Haley congratulated Trump during her announcement but failed to endorse him bid for presidency.

Following her speech, Trump said the former South Carolina governor got "trounced" on Super Tuesday and invited her supporters to join his political movement.

Despite rejecting any backing from Haley's supporters and publicly stating his campaign "will no accept them" in January.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden acknowledged Haley's "courage" for speaking the "truth about Trump: about the chaos that always follows him, about his inability to see right from wrong, about his cowering before Vladimir Putin".

Referencing Trump's previous remarks on Haley supporters, Biden added: "I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign. I know there is a lot we won’t agree on.

"But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground."

Haley, 52, previously called for competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 - a knock on both Trump, who is 77, and Biden, who is 81.

She spent the final phase of her campaign aggressively warning the GOP against embracing Trump, whom she argued was too consumed by chaos and personal grievance to defeat Biden in the general election.

Without her own pathway to the White House, she must now decide whether or not to endorse Trump, who in his speech on Tuesday night called for party unity without mentioning Haley once.

The former president is currently on track to reach the 1,215 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination later this month.

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