How Long Does NeoCon Nikki Last Facing Trump By Her Lonesome?

By Brian Cates

Since the Iowa Caucus a week ago, where she finished 3^rd in the voting behind Donald Trum and Ron DeSantis, US presidential candidate and former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley has been loudly insisting that this is now a ‘two person race’ and she wants Donald Trump’s undivided attention.

Her wish has been granted!

Last night Desantis, who is the current governor of Florida, dropped out of the race and fully endorsed Trump.

Facing single digit polling in both New Hampshire and South Carolina, plus a confusing double primary/caucus in Nevada where doesn’t even appear on the primary ballot that will be given to voters, following that crushing defeat in Iowa where he came in second to Trump by 30 points, DeSantis bowed to the inevitable.

Political campaigns run on momentum, and after the crushing defeat in Iowa, the DeSantis camp saw similar routs approaching in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

Losing 4 primaries in a row, very likely by double digits, is not how a political campaign builds its momentum. It clear that the historical losing margin in Iowa took any remaining wind out of the sails of the good ship DeSantis.

DeSantis should be commended for ending it now and throwing his support to Trump, rather than dragging it out for another primary loss – or two or three – as many of his most vocal supporters were calling for him to do. 

Now exactly as I’ve been predicting, Trump will turn on the charm and start rebuilding all the bridges so many nasty people on both sides did their level best to burn down forever. Trump made the first move last night when asked if he would still be calling DeSantis the nickname he gave him and that he made use of extensively to this point in the campaign: “DeSanctimonious”.  Trump very quickly said that nickname is now ‘retired’.

Of course, it will take awhile for some of the nastier Trump/DeSantis camp social media influencers to realize the peace treaty that was just signed in this primary civil war is 100% real.  Trump himself will set the tone going forward at the campaign events at which DeSantis and his lovely wife Casey will be appearing with him up on the stage and the podium. 

NeoCon Nikki Now Has Exactly What She Said She Wanted

As I wrote just two days ago for Vigilant News Network, if DeSantis dropped out as expected, this would leave NeoCon Nikki in the rather unenviable position of having to face The Trump Juggernaut all by her lonesome.

Now, she may have been SAYING she wanted Trump’s undivided attention, but I don’t think it will take long for her to wish she hadn’t gotten it.

Unlike Haley, who seems to have forgotten how it went the last time Trump had directly face GOP establishment UniParty NeoCon politicians back in the 2016 primary season, I recall it quite well. 

Back then, Trump’s candidacy was considered just another publicity stunt by an egomaniacal celebrity billionaire looking to feed his outsized ego for a couple months as he pretended to run for US president.

Competing with Trump for that precious 2016 GOP nomination was an unusually large field of sixteen candidates, including several governors and US Senators.

It was considered by many political observers to be THE deepest, most experienced and politically savvy field the UniParty had ever put forth.

And then debates started.  

And Trump completely wiped the floor with and made a mockery of the ‘deepest most experienced field in GOP history’.

Current and former governors at the time such as Jeb! Bush, Rick Perry, Scott Walker and Bobby Jindal were smarter than most because they headed for the exits first. After getting rhetorically eviscerated by Trump at the debates, they could see the handwriting on the wall.

Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz hung on for deal life, then wished they hadn’t.  Rubio ended up losing his home state of Florida to Trump by an ego-crushing 18 points, while Cruz held on to the bitter, bitter end, the last one to face Trump alone, before finally dropping out in July of 2016 and initially refusing to endorse the winning candidate.

In 2016, Trump started the primary season facing over a dozen other candidates vying with him for the nomination.

He started this current 2024 primary season facing 3, and since Iowa two have now dropped out, leaving only one.

I have no illusions whatsoever how this is going to go. Recall what I said about political campaigns running on momentum? Haley bravely and brazenly bluffed after that 3^rd place finish in Iowa calling it a two-person race and insisting she’s gaining on Trump.

But now there’s nowhere for her and her campaign to hide if she suffers the expected double-digit loss to Trump that’s coming tomorrow night.

Following a second straight defeat to Trump in New Hampshire, next up is Nevada on February 8, and then South Carolina on February 24, where she trails Trump by 29 points currently in her own home state.

My prediction? After losing to Trump by double digits in New Hampshire, if she says in long enough to lose to Trump in Nevada [also by double digits] Haley bows out before that South Carolina primary gets here on February 24^th.

I don’t see Haley hanging around long enough to get her bony warmongering ass kicked by 20+ points in a state she should be competitive in.

She will drop out before February 24th gets here.