Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has endorsed former President Donald Trump for president, saying that the former president has clearly won the support of Republican voters.
“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” Mr. McConnell said in a statement to media outlets. “It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support.
Mr. McConnell’s announcement comes a day after Super Tuesday—the day consisting of the greatest number of primaries in the presidential election cycle—in which President Trump swept all but one of the races.
In his statement, the Kentucky Republican highlighted several key accomplishments of President Trump’s first term in office—and said he looks forward to working with him in the future.
“During his presidency, we worked together to accomplish great things for the American people including tax reform that supercharged our economy and a generational change of our federal judiciary—most importantly, the Supreme Court,” Mr. McConnell said.
“I look forward to the opportunity of switching from playing defense against the terrible policies the Biden administration has pursued to a sustained offense geared towards making a real difference in improving the lives of the American people,” he added.
The endorsement comes after millions of voter across 16 states and one U.S. territory cast their votes Tuesday for their preferred presidential candidates on what is the biggest primary day of the year.
“They call it Super Tuesday for a reason; this is a big one,” President Trump said in his victory speech on March 5.
Nikki Haley Drops Out
Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley was declared the projected winner in Vermont, which would make it her second primary win of the 2024 season.However, Ms. Haley decided to end her 2024 bid on March 6. She delivered a brief speech before supporters on March 6 in Charleston, South Carolina, though she did not endorse President Trump.
“I have always been a conservative Republican and supported the Republican nominee,” she said. “But on this question, as she did on so many others, Margaret Thatcher provided some good advice when she said, ‘Never just follow the crowd. Always make up your own mind,’” Ms. Haley said in reference to a potential endorsement.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. And I hope he does,” she added.
President Trump reacted to news that Ms. Haley was dropping out of the race with a statement on social media.
Saying that he had “trounced” Ms. Haley the night before, President Trump said, “At this point, I hope she stays in the ‘race’ and fights it out until end!”
The former president’s Super Tuesday win comes a day after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated ruling in a case that saw the Colorado Supreme Court ban President Trump from the ballot on 14th Amendment grounds.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on March 4 that President Trump cannot be removed from the ballot by individual states.
“Responsibility for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates rests with Congress and not the States. The judgment of the Colorado Supreme Court therefore cannot stand,” the order reads. “All nine Members of the Court agree with that result.”
The Supreme Court ruled that states can’t enforce Section 3 for national candidates but that “the Constitution empowers Congress to prescribe how those determinations should be made.”
Section 5 of the 14th Amendment spells out Congress’s authority to pass legislation to enforce the amendment, and the court opined that this “power is critical when it comes to Section 3.”
The order was issued just one day ahead of Super Tuesday.
Super Tuesday Brings Biden Closer to Trump Rematch
Elsewhere, President Joe Biden secured a significant victory on Super Tuesday, with little opposition.The president dominated every Democratic contest, except the American territory of Samoa.
Tuesday’s results bring President Biden one step closer to a potential rematch with President Trump.
Border security, inflation, abortion, and the conflict in Gaza were some of the big issues that drove voters to the polls on Super Tuesday.
Despite winning all 15 states, President Biden was unexpectedly defeated by Jason Palmer, a little-known presidential candidate, in the Democratic caucuses in Samoa.
