Former US President Donald Trump comfortably defeated rival Nikki Haley in the Republican primary in South Carolina on Saturday, boosting his chances of becoming the party’s presidential nominee.
“I’ve never seen the Republican Party so united,” said Trump, who won nearly 60% of the vote.
Haley, who served as governor of South Carolina between 2011 and 2017 and as ambassador to the UN during Trump’s presidency, announced that she would not withdraw from the race.
But Trump has won every major primary to date. “What I saw today was South Carolina’s frustration with the direction of our country,” Haley said Saturday night, acknowledging that Trump was seen as an anti-system candidate.
Trump’s rhetoric against US foreign entanglements resonated with voters. According to a poll, 60% of South Carolina Republicans say the US should stop its military support for Ukraine.
