Trump's Last Republican Challenger Drops Out of Primary
With mathematics already ensuring that President Donald Trump will win the Republican Party’s nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld announced that he is ending his long-shot presidential campaign.
“I have decided to suspend my candidacy for President of the United States, effective immediately,” Weld wrote in a Wednesday email to supporters, according to the Washington Examiner.
“But while I am suspending my candidacy, I want to be clear that I am not suspending my commitment to the nation and to the democratic institutions that set us apart,” he went on.
“America is truly the greatest country on earth. It’s up to each of us to ensure that it remains so.”
In February, Weld made it clear his antipathy to Trump was his main reason for running.
“We have a president whose priorities are skewed towards promotion of himself rather than for the good of the country,” Weld said at the time, USA Today reported.
“He may have great energy and considerable raw talent but he does not use that in ways that promote democracy, truth, justice and equal opportunity for all. To compound matters, our president is simply too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office in the land.”
With deep gratitude to all who have stood with me during the past eleven months in our effort to bring better government to Washington, D.C., I am today suspending my candidacy for President of the United States. My full statement here: https://t.co/XnGU82GHO3
— Gov. Bill Weld (@GovBillWeld) March 18, 2020
Weld did not mention Trump in the statement the ended his candidacy, but hinted at his prior criticisms of the president.
“The reason that people all over the world look to the United States for leadership, as they do, is our dedication to the rule of law under our Constitution,” Weld said in a statement, The New York Times reported.
Weld won one delegate during his campaign, according to NBC News. That was one more than either former Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois, who dropped out after the Iowa caucuses, and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who fell by the wayside last fall before any voting took place.
After winning the Florida primary on Tuesday, Trump has now amassed 1,330 delegates, according to The Hill.
The threshold for winning the nomination is 1,276 delegates.
The president tweeted Wednesday that the GOP is behind him, and also called on Americans to join the fight against the coronavirus.
….Also, according to the Daily Caller, leading Sleepy Joe Biden in Florida, 48% to 42%.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020
STRONG & UNITED, WE WILL PREVAIL! pic.twitter.com/T6UCyaPRIy
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020
The Trump campaign said that Weld’s inability to gain traction was a sign of Republican unity.
“The Republican Party is more unified and energized than ever before and it’s because of President Trump’s leadership and clear record of accomplishment on behalf of all Americans,” Brad Parscale, the president’s 2020 campaign manager, said in a statement, according to The Hill.
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