Our latest book is titled Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics. The 2024 race has begun. The nomination phase has effectively ended, but Trump is still raging.
On Tuesday night, Donald Trump emerged as the winner of New Hampshire’s Republican primary and presumptive Republican presidential nominee, handily defeating Nikki Haley. He is the first non-incumbent Republican to win both Iowa and New Hampshire. South Carolina’s contest is next month and those that follow are formalities on the road to coronation.
Haley is staying in the race. Trump is unhappy. Politico Playbook:
He rage-posted about her speech in realtime on Truth Social. “DELUSIONAL!!!” he wrote. When he came on stage at his own event 30 miles south in Nashua, he could barely contain his anger. Gone was the sunny Trump of Iowa caucus night who magnanimously praised his defeated rivals.
Trump began his remarks with a falsehood. He claimed to have won New Hampshire in both the primaries and the general election. Nope: HILLARY CLINTON beat him there in 2016 and JOE BIDEN won in 2020. This was a particularly noteworthy claim at the top given the subject of his remarks: the fact that Haley did “a speech like she won” even
though she lost by 11 points.
“This is not your typical victory speech,” he warned, and he was right. As the clear victor, he had one job: ignore Haley and focus on Biden and the general election. But he couldn’t let it go.
He attacked her as unelectable. He suggested New Hampshire Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU uses drugs (“He’s got to be on something”). He hinted darkly that she would be under investigation (“a little stuff that she doesn’t want to talk about”). He even mocked her outfit (“the fancy dress that probably wasn’t so fancy”).
He handed the program over to VIVEK RAMASWAMY, who Trump said had helped instigate the plan to focus on Haley and was “the only person more angry” than him. (He quickly clarified, “I don’t get mad, I get even.”) Ramaswamy got a few more shots in at Haley. After 20 minutes of this, Trump explained his curveball of a speech. “I felt I should do this,” he said, “because I find in life you can’t let people get away with bullshit.”
Haley’s campaign seemed pleased to get under Trump’s skin. “Why is he so angry?” a member of Team Haley told Playbook. “For someone who’s not threatened by Nikki, he sure talks about her every chance he gets.”
The Biden team was cheered by the drama. A campaign aide texted Playbook taking note of Trump’s fit: “That’s the guy we will beat.”
