WATCH LIVE: Nikki Haley addresses the state of the presidential race as Trump takes commanding lead
The GOP presidential candidate delivers remarks days before the South Carolina primaries.
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Donald Trump's campaign predicts that the former president will lock up the 2024 Republican presidential nomination by the middle of next month.
And pointing to the former president's very large double-digit lead over Nikki Haley in the latest polls in Saturday's South Carolina GOP primary, Trump's campaign argued Tuesday in a memo that Haley's White House bid will end "fittingly, in her home state."
But Haley, the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, on Tuesday said in a major speech in this Upstate South Carolina city that "some of you—perhaps a few of you in the media—came here today to see if I’m dropping out of the race. Well, I’m not. Far from it."
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Haley down to Trump by double digits in the latest South Carolina polls Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador, takes aim at former President Trump in a speech in Greenville, S.C. on Feb. 20, 2024 (Fox News Kirill Clark )
"I refuse to quit. South Carolina will vote on Saturday. But on Sunday, I’ll still be running for president. I’m not going anywhere," Haley emphasized.
And she added that "I have no fear of Trump’s retribution."
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But the Trump campaign memo forecasts an "a---kicking in the making in South Carolina" for Haley, and that "the end is near" for her presidential run due to "a very serious math problem" she has in the race to lock up enough delegates to win the GOP nomination.
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump arrives on stage during a Get Out The Vote rally at Coastal Carolina University on February 10, 2024 in Conway, South Carolina. South Carolina holds its Republican primary on February 24. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Looking ahead to next month, when nearly 800 delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday as 15 states hold Republican presidential contests on March 5, with over 150 at stake over the following two weeks, the Trump campaign predicted the former president would secure the nomination on March 19, even under a "most-generous model" for Haley.
Among the states holding contests on Super Tuesday are delegate rich California and Texas, as other big states like Florida, Illinois and Ohio will hold winner-take-all primaries on March 19.
"Now, if we ignore this model and follow what the current data — both public and private — suggests, President Trump will win the Republican nomination one week earlier, on March 12, with 1,223 Delegates. Which is all to say, before March Madness tips off next month, President Trump will be the Republican nominee for President," the Trump campaign spotlighted.
And in a pre-buttal to her speech, the Trump memo said the "true ‘State’ of Nikki Haley’s campaign" is "broken down, out of ideas, out of gas, and completely outperformed by every measure, by Donald Trump."
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But Haley, in her speech, argued that "many of the same politicians who now publicly embrace Trump privately dread him. They know what a disaster he’s been and will continue to be for our party. They’re just too afraid to say it out loud."
"Well, I’m not afraid to say the hard truths out loud," she stressed. "I feel no need to kiss the ring. And I have no fear of Trump’s retribution. I’m not looking for anything from him. My own political future is of zero concern."
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
Trump's campaign memo came out hours before Trump returns to South Carolina on Tuesday to headline a Fox News town hall in Greenville hosted by Laura Ingraham. The pre-taped one-hour event, which will focus on both domestic issues and overseas conflicts, will air at 7 p.m. ET.
Haley's speech on Tuesday followed a campaign rally in the city on Monday night, when Haley emphasized "I promise you this, I am in this fight. I will take the bruises. I will take the cuts," she told supporters at a large rally in this city in upstate South Carolina on Monday night. "This is going to be messy and I'll take the hurt because I believe nothing good comes easy. Sometimes we have to feel pain to appreciate the blessing."
Haley trails Trump by double digits in latest South Carolina polls Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador, greets supporters after delivering a speech in Greenville, S.C. on Feb. 20, 2024 (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)
Haley started turning up the volume on Trump last month, when she became the final rival standing against the former president in the GOP nomination race. Additionally, Haley has been sharpening those attacks in recent days.
Trump grabbed a majority of the votes last month in Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary victories, and won by a landslide two weeks ago in the Nevada and U.S. Virgin Island caucuses, as he moved toward locking up the nomination.
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While South Carolina is home for Haley, the former president enjoys the backing of the state's governor, nearly the entire congressional delegation and scores of state lawmakers and local officials.
"She's getting clobbered," Trump emphasized last week at a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, as he touted his formidable lead over Haley. "She's finished."
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston, S.C., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/David Yeazell) (AP Photo/David Yeazell)
Trump, the commanding frontrunner for the Republican nomination as he makes his third straight bid for the White House, stands at 63% support among those likely to vote in Saturday's Republican presidential primary, according to a Suffolk University/USA Today survey released on Tuesday.
Haley stands at 35% in the poll, which was conducted Feb. 15-18. The survey is the latest this month to suggest Haley faces a steep uphill climb in her home state.
Getting past the top lines, the poll also indicates Trump with a massive 72% to 25% lead among Republicans questioned, with Haley holding a narrow 53%-46% advantage among independents.
While South Carolina's GOP primary is open to all voters as long as they have not already cast a ballot in the Feb. 3 Democratic presidential primary, nearly two-thirds of those sampled by the poll indicated they were Republicans, with only 28% identifying as independents.
Independents helped fuel Haley's 43% finish in last month's New Hampshire GOP presidential primary, 11 points behind Trump.
Fox News' Kirill Clark and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this story
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