GOP rival giving his support to ex-prez
Sen. Tim Scott, Donald Trump’s onetime rival in the 2024 Republican race, was set to announce Friday evening that he is endorsing the former president for the GOP nomination, The Post has learned.
Scott (R-SC), who dropped out of the race Nov. 12 and vowed at the time he would not endorse another candidate, will make his backing official at a rally in Concord, NH, the capital of the Granite State.
The decision by Scott to endorse Trump, 77, ahead of the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary, first reported by The New York Times, is a blow to Scott’s fellow South Carolinian, former Palmetto State Gov. Nikki Haley.
Hurting Haley
Haley, 51, appointed Scott in December 2012 to the Senate seat he has since won twice on his own.
The two South Carolinians traded testy exchanges in each of the three debates in which they took part, with Scott notably trying to take Haley to task over the curtains in her residence while she was Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.
Haley is Trump’s nearest challenger in New Hampshire, and the consensus among political observers is that she must win the Granite State to deny the 45th president a cakewalk to the Republican nomination in Milwaukee later this year.
In backing Trump, Scott also joins his Senate colleague Lindsey Graham and current South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster in turning their backs on Haley in favor of the former president.
Haley “probably” won’t be Trump’s running mate should he nab the nomination, he told New Hampshire voters Friday.
“She was OK, but she was not presidential timber,” he said at a rally in Concord, referring to Haley’s tenure as his ambassador to the United Nations.
“Now when I say that, that probably means that she’s not going to be chosen as the vice president,” he added, leaving little doubt that he won’t be tapping Haley to be his No. 2.
Earlier in the day, Haley was overheard telling a Granite State voter that being Trump’s veep was “off the table.”
Scott, 58, entered the race in May last year, articulating an optimistic message about his life story in opposition to liberal claims of American oppression of blacks and other minorities.
However, despite impressive fundraising numbers, Scott failed to break through among Republican voters.
Dropped out with 7%
A benchmark Iowa poll released in late October, two weeks before he dropped out, showed him getting just 7% support in the Hawkeye State.
Scott announced he was suspending his campaign during an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America,” hosted by his fellow South Carolinian, former Rep. Trey Gowdy.
“I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear,” he said. “They’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim.’ ”
In the same interview, Scott said he would withhold his endorsement for the time being, telling Gowdy that “the best way for me to be helpful is to not weigh in.”
The senator also appeared to rule out being any candidate’s running mate, saying: “Being vice president has never been on my to-do list for this campaign, and it’s certainly not there now.”
Scott is at least the fifth 2024 Republican presidential candidate to endorse Trump, along with former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, conservative radio host Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Since Scott exited the race, the Trump campaign had mounted a concerted effort to win his support.
Friday’s endorsement comes four days after Trump dominated the Republican Iowa caucuses, beating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by nearly 30 percentage points, with Haley coming in third.
Additional reporting by Samuel Chamberlain