Donald Trump is now the 2024 Republican nominee for president

Republican former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley suspended her campaign for president on Wednesday after a disappointing Super Tuesday showing in which she won just one state, leaving her no path to the nomination.

Her exit means former President Donald Trump is now the unofficial Republican nominee until his nomination is formalized at the Republican National Convention in July.

While Trump easily won the GOP nomination, carrying every contest so far save for the District of Columbia and Vermont, his performance showed signs of potential weakness in a general election.

Exit polling from Tuesday’s contests showed that Haley’s supporters are not guaranteed to vote for Trump in a general election rematch against President Joe Biden. In North Carolina, for example, 78% of Haley’s voters said they wouldn’t vote for the Republican nominee no matter who it is. 

Haley herself did not endorse Trump as she announced she was dropping out of the race.

“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party who did not support him, and I hope he does,” Haley said. “This is now his time for choosing.”

The biggest risk for Trump is his legal exposure. He faces 91 felony counts that run the gamut from mishandling classified documents to conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Exit polling found 60% of Haley supporters saying Trump would be unfit for the presidency if convicted on any of those charges. 

Biden’s campaign is also gearing up to use its sizable campaign cash advantage to run ads that remind voters of the policies and behavior that left Trump with a 34% approval rating when he left office in 2021. 

“Donald Trump isn’t letting up on his extreme and unpopular agenda — he’s doubling down,” Biden’s campaign said in a memo released on Wednesday. “On the eve of Super Tuesday, he referred to immigrants as ‘cannibals’ and said they were ‘poisoning the blood of the country.’ He continues to peddle election denialism. And he’s reaffirmed his support for a national abortion ban.”

The New York Times reported in February that Trump is privately discussing a 16-week national abortion ban with his advisers. On Feb. 29, Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he is considering a national abortion ban at 15 weeks’ gestation.

In speech after speech, Trump also continues to repeat the lie that the 2020 election was rigged against him, a claim that a majority of independent voters do not believe.

Biden, for his part, said he would welcome Haley voters into his coalition in November. Trump, meanwhile, said that those who donated to Haley’s campaign are “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”

“We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!” Trump wrote in a January post on his social media site Truth Social.

“Donald Trump made it clear he doesn’t want Nikki Haley’s supporters. I want to be clear: There is a place for them in my campaign,” Biden said in a statement after Haley suspended her bid. 

Biden added: “I know there is a lot we won’t agree on. But on the fundamental issues of preserving American democracy, on standing up for the rule of law, on treating each other with decency and dignity and respect, on preserving NATO and standing up to America’s adversaries, I hope and believe we can find common ground.”