Super Tuesday was not good for Nikki Haley, but it loudly confirmed a trend we’ve seen in the early primary states: There’s a solid chunk of Republicans who care enough about America to not want anything to do with Donald Trump.
The former president and current criminal defendant is going to win the GOP presidential nomination, a fact that has been clear from the jump. It became clearer as the Super Tuesday results began coming in. Haley has fought on admirably, and may continue, but she’s going to lose to a cultish figure who has consumed the Republican Party and is bleeding it dry to help pay the legal costs that come with his multiple criminal indictments.
That doesn’t mean Haley and her voters can’t still be heroes. They just need to vote, hard as it may be, for Joe Biden.
Though it came far too late, Haley has told her voters exactly why they should reject Trump.
She has called him “completely unhinged.”
She has said of Trump that “he is now saying things that don't make sense.”
She said of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in 2021: “I think what happened on Jan. 6 was a terrible day, and I think President Trump will have to answer for it.”
Haley has painted the former president, accurately and indisputably, as an agent of chaos.
Following recent comments by Trump suggesting that Black voters like him because he has been indicted so many times, Haley said in a statement: “That's the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. That's the offensiveness that will come every day until the general election. That's why I continue to say that Donald Trump cannot win a general election.”
It’s clear from the substantial support she has received – upwards of 40% of the primary vote in some states – that Haley voters agree with her. So even if Trump wins the nomination, these voters have a chance to stand by their convictions and do their part to make sure Trump doesn’t win in the general election.
Trump isn't in the clear:Sure, Nikki Haley lost big on Super Tuesday. But warning signs for Trump are flashing.
That means swinging their support to the current Democratic president, something I realize is a big ask.
That’s where the heroic part comes in.
I see three ways a Biden vs. Trump general election plays out:
For anyone who believes Trump is unhinged, anyone sickened by his narcissism and his lies and his thirst for vengeance, option No. 3 is far and away the best outcome.
That’s also the best outcome for any conservative who’d like a post-MAGA rebirth of the Republican Party. To kill the snake, you cut off the head, and the GOP is going to remain in thrall to the twisted, burn-it-all-down MAGA ideology until Trump is politically severed from the party.
Another presidential loss will do the trick. He has already led Republicans to a string of losses. One more will be a bridge too far, even for those who bent the knee to him in fear of his base.
Anyone with sense enough to back Haley has to have the vision to see the threat Trump poses, and not just to liberals. Madness at the top trickles down. It harms us all.
Haley supporters have managed to avoid the MAGA brainwashing. They clearly want a normal politician. And while Biden’s age and policies may be a bridge too far for a lifelong Republican voter, I’d ask them to go back and look at options 1 and 2 above. In terms of what’s best for the country – what’s best for all of us – there’s one clear choice.
Conservative voters can and should work and fight and vote to make sure Republicans control one or both houses of Congress, the best way to keep a check on a Democratic president.
Trump's free insurrection:Supreme Court sides with Trump, affirming each president gets one free insurrection
But for Haley and the people who’ve backed her, to vote for Trump or not cast a vote for president would be to abandon the views and principles they espoused.
It would be caving to the unhinged man they know full well is dangerous.
Voting to protect America from another Trump term, even if that means voting for the other party’s candidate, is a selfless act, one that puts you squarely on the right side of history.
Republicans needed someone like Haley to win the presidential primary and knock Trump out for good. That’s not happening.
So now Republicans need Haley and some heroes to kick Trump to the curb for good, end MAGA and remake the party into something that makes them proud. Biden may not lead the country where you want it to go. But Trump will lead it straight into a ditch.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on X, formerly Twitter, @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
Nikki Haley lost Super Tuesday. She can still help bring down Trump.
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06.03.2024
Super Tuesday was not good for Nikki Haley, but it loudly confirmed a trend we’ve seen in the early primary states: There’s a solid chunk of Republicans who care enough about America to not want anything to do with Donald Trump.
The former president and current criminal defendant is going to win the GOP presidential nomination, a fact that has been clear from the jump. It became clearer as the Super Tuesday results began coming in. Haley has fought on admirably, and may continue, but she’s going to lose to a cultish figure who has consumed the Republican Party and is bleeding it dry to help pay the legal costs that come with his multiple criminal indictments.
That doesn’t mean Haley and her voters can’t still be heroes. They just need to vote, hard as it may be, for Joe Biden.
Though it came far too late, Haley has told her voters exactly why they should reject Trump.
She has called him “completely unhinged.”
She has said of Trump that “he is now saying things that don't make sense.”
She said of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in 2021: “I think what happened on Jan. 6 was a terrible day, and I think President........
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