MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Donald Trump didn’t just want to win in New Hampshire, he wanted to beat Nikki Haley so badly that his sole rival for the Republican presidential nomination would drop out before the next competitive contest in South Carolina a month away.

The former president easily bested the former South Carolina governor on Tuesday, but his carefully crafted strategy to drive Haley out of the race fell short, denying Trump the chance, for now, to focus all his attention on Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and the November general election.

Trump, 77, was full of fury after Haley, 52, vowed in a Tuesday night speech to fight on, just two days after the other leading Republican contender, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ended his campaign.

  • partial_accumen
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    2210 months ago

    If Haley gets the party nod, I have little doubt Trump will splinter and run as independent/third party (MAGA party?). Along with that split Trump will burn down the Republican party by claiming fixed voting in primaries and unfaithful party leaders.

    A number of MAGA reps in Congress will likely switch to this new party expecting their momentum to get them re-elected, but they’ll discover the Republican money isn’t behind them. McCarthy, famously the leader of GOP fundraising, will work to starve MAGA congressmen/congresswomen of money and back their GOP opponents enacting his revenge against this wing for kicking him out of the Speakership.

    • @june
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      1010 months ago

      If Haley gets the nod it’ll be because Trump is disqualified. I don’t see any other way that it happens.

      • themeatbridge
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        410 months ago

        As long as she keeps forcing him to campaign, she’s worth her weight in spray tan.

        • jayrhacker
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          010 months ago

          Oh, she pretty much has to stay out of the sun, bet her SPF cream is as thick as Trump’s tanner.

      • @IphtashuFitz
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        110 months ago

        That still wouldn’t stop Trump from campaigning and pushing the MAGA crowd to write him in. If he’s not the GOP candidate then he’ll do everything he can to destroy the GOP.

        • @june
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          110 months ago

          Right, and Biden would sail to an easy victory.

          Trump being disqualified or Haley getting the nod both result in a dem win for the executive