Even though Donald Trump has officially become the Republican presidential nominee, Nikki Haley, who withdrew from the race recently, is still causing him trouble.
Trump won in five Republican primaries held on Tuesday in Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Arizona, and Kansas. However, he didn’t manage to get unanimous support from his party.
Nikki Haley received more than 500,000 votes, along with the nearly three million votes she got while she was still running. She even won in Democratic strongholds like Vermont and Washington, D.C.
Some of the votes Haley got on Tuesday might have been cast before she withdrew from the race. But the fact that she’s still getting votes indicates that Trump is having a hard time bringing his supporters together.
Even though Haley had some extreme political views similar to Trump’s, she appealed to more moderate Republicans and those who never supported Trump. While some of Haley’s supporters might vote for Trump, others who are more moderate or independent might not.
Donald Trump (Credits: PBS)
According to Marc Thiessen, a former President George W. Bush’s chief speechwriter, Haley’s supporters are crucial swing voters in the 2024 election. Trump needs to win them over and focus on uniting the Republican Party beyond his core supporters.
When Haley dropped out, she didn’t endorse Trump in her resignation speech. Instead, she urged him to earn the votes of all Republican and independent voters.
Trump, on the other hand, has shifted further to the right. His extreme positions have drawn comparisons to authoritarian leaders like Adolf Hitler. While this might please his loyal supporters, it seems he’s struggling to attract anyone else.
