CONCORD, N.H.—Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a one-time rival to former President Donald Trump, enthusiastically endorsed him at an event in Concord, New Hampshire, on Jan. 19.
Mr. Scott ran for the Republican nod on the ballot and met early requirements to participate in debates, but he dropped out of the race in November.
During an appearance in Concord, Mr. Trump introduced Mr. Scott, who came to the stage with high energy.
“We need a president who will unite our country. We need Donald Trump. We need a president who will protect your Social Security and my mama’s Social Security,” Mr. Scott said.
Mr. Scott led the crowd to chant “Donald Trump” each time after he expressed what he believes the country needs.
“We need a president today who will stop the crime and recklessness in the streets,” he continued. “We need a president who will restore law and order we need”—the crowd shouts “Donald Trump.”
The list went on, calling for a president who would lower taxes and one whom our adversaries would fear and our allies would respect.
We need a president who doesn’t see black or white, he said, but one who sees America as one family.
Mr. Scott then officially and enthusiastically said the words that had been rumored all day. “And that’s why I came to the very warm state of New Hampshire to endorse the next president of these United States, President Donald Trump,” he said before leaving the stage.
President Trump said the Republican Party now needs to unify and stop wasting millions of dollars attacking him.
The gathered crowd included supporters and some who were simply curious to hear President Trump speak.
Among them was Rudi Rottier, a travel author from Belgium who told The Epoch Times that people in Europe are a bit scared of what could happen in a second Trump term.
There is a fear that if he’s reelected, he will be more of a dictator, Mr. Rottier said, adding that international relations in his first term were not very good, and he fears that could worsen, especially with the Russia–Ukraine war going on. He was concerned that President Trump would stop funding Ukraine in the war.
Kim Keafer from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, stood out in the cold weather, waiting to see President Trump.
She told The Epoch Times that she had never been to a political rally before, but she did it for educational reasons. Her son is in the family’s homeschool co-op’s government class.
“They were talking about the Trump rallies in New Hampshire and the election coming up. And so he came out of class and he said, ‘Hey, Mom, let’s go to a Trump rally.’ And he’s, I mean, he’s got a Trump flag in his room, and he’s always talking about Trump, which is fine. I’m glad he’s interested,” Ms. Keafer said. “When I was his age, I couldn’t have cared less about politics, so I am so glad he’s thinking about it … So it’s kind of like an extracurricular in-home school civics class.”
The Rev. Joel Tenney, a major pro-Trump evangelist in Iowa, said he drove 18 hours after that caucus to campaign for Trump in New Hampshire. He told The Epoch Times that President Trump was the best to hold that office in his lifetime, and he was pleased that he received the endorsement of two Christian men, Mr. Scott and Dr. Ben Carson.
He said President Trump advanced the pro-life movement.
“He was the only president to ever speak at a pro-life event ... the March for Life, which is the biggest pro-life event in the nation,” Mr. Tenney said, adding that President Trump’s actions while in office “saved millions of babies’ lives.”
Former New Hampshire state Rep. Max Abramson, a Republican, is not sold on President Trump.
He had intended to get behind Mr. Scott before he dropped out, Mr. Abramson told The Epoch Times. Then he put his intentions behind Vivek Ramaswamy, who dropped out the night of the Iowa Caucus.
“I’m still looking at it like Gov. [Ron] DeSantis,” Mr. Abramson said. “I know he’s having some events here in New Hampshire. If DeSantis focuses on the fiscally conservative states … he probably has a chance to keep going.”
A Blow for Haley
The news will likely be a blow to the candidacy of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Ms. Haley, also the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., was reportedly seeking an endorsement from Mr. Scott.Ms. Haley, when she was governor of the Palmetto State, appointed Mr. Scott to his seat in the Senate in 2013 to fill a vacancy. Mr. Scott replaced former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint.
A representative of the Haley campaign shared an X post where Ms. Haley replied to the report.
“Interesting that Trump’s lining up with all the Washington insiders when he claimed he wanted to drain the swamp. But the fellas are gonna do what the fellas are gonna do,” Ms. Haley said, according to the post.
Ms. Haley is one of two major candidates left in the race against President Trump. She and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis both finished well behind the 45th president at the Republican Party of Iowa’s caucus on Jan. 15.
New Hampshire Polling
Ms. Haley is currently in New Hampshire, where she is campaigning with Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican. On Jan. 15, in West Des Moines, Iowa, she declared the GOP’s primary contest was now a two-person race between herself and President Trump.Of the 500 likely voters contacted between Jan. 17 and Jan. 18 by Suffolk University’s pollsters, 51.8 percent said they would be voting for President Trump. Following, 35.4 percent said they prefer Ms. Haley. Another 6.4 percent said they would support Mr. DeSantis. The smallest percentage, 4.2 percent, remains undecided.
In a hypothetical contest, the respondents to the Marist poll backed President Biden over President Trump by a margin of 52 percent to 45 percent in a rematch of the 2020 election. The same experiment was conducted with Ms. Haley, who won 47 percent to 44 percent, and with Mr. DeSantis, who lost 51 percent to 42 percent.
New Hampshire will hold its presidential primary on Jan. 23. The GOP’s South Carolina primary is set for Feb. 24.
