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Nikki Haley (on January 8th)

Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Now it's just a duel. From the extensive field of candidates for the Republican nomination for the presidential election in November, only Donald Trump and Nikki Haley remain. The latter has, at best, outsider chances - but still doesn't want to admit defeat.

Haley has now confirmed that she wants to stay in the race even after the South Carolina primaries. She doesn't necessarily have to win her home state to move on, Haley said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

»I have to show that I am building momentum. “I have to show that I am stronger in South Carolina than in New Hampshire,” said the former US ambassador to the United Nations. »Does it have to be a victory? I don't think it necessarily has to be a win. But it definitely has to be better than what I achieved in New Hampshire, and it definitely has to be close."

Both are aiming to win the February 24 primary election in South Carolina, where Haley was former governor. However, Trump is far ahead of Haley in the polls. Republican heavyweights have thrown their weight behind Trump, who has long been considered the front-runner for the nomination.

A motion submitted to the Republican National Committee (RNC) on Thursday (local time) to declare Donald Trump the party's presidential candidate early was withdrawn just a few hours later after objections from Trump himself. When asked whether the RNC had been an honest broker on this issue, Haley said no. "Definitely not," she told NBC.

"If you ... basically tell the American people that you're going to go and decide who the nominee is after only two states have voted... This is a democracy. “The American people want to have a say in who their candidate should be.”

Verbal attacks on both sides

The tone between the two rivals in the fight for the nomination had become increasingly tense in recent days. Trump himself insults Haley as a “brainhead.” He apparently sees it as an lese majeste that she has gone back on her promise not to run against him in 2024. After his win in New Hampshire, he fired a tirade at Haley for not conceding defeat. "I'll pay her back," he threatened.

Trump calls Haley a “globalist.” The ex-governor represents very classic conservative positions: a state that is too inflated, debts and taxes that are too high, and an immigration system that is too lax. She is campaigning for an increase in the retirement age for young professionals in order to save the health insurance and social systems.

Haley recently declared with regard to Trump: "We will not survive four more years of chaos" - and described himself as a "leader of a new generation." In a television interview, she questioned Trump's mental state and described the 77-year-old as "deteriorating."

jok/Reuters