Trump Thanks DeSantis for Endorsement After Governor Drops Out

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during a campaign stop in Rochester, N.H., on Jan. 21, 2024. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

ROCHESTER, N.H.—Former President Donald Trump thanked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his endorsement during a Jan. 21 rally in Rochester, New Hampshire.

Earlier the same day, Mr. DeSantis, an erstwhile adversary, announced that with no clear path to the White House after a disappointing showing in Iowa, he was dropping out of the presidential race. He then announced his endorsement of President Trump.

President Trump’s speech in the Rochester Opera House, a historic location that’s hosted political and cultural events since 1908, marked his first public appearance since Mr. DeSantis’s announcement.

President Trump reacted graciously to the departure of the Florida governor, thanking him for his endorsement and announcing that he was officially retiring his nickname for the candidate, “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

“He ran a really great campaign,” President Trump told his supporters in Rochester, complimenting both Mr. DeSantis and his wife, Casey DeSantis.

“As you know, he left the campaign trail today … And in so doing, he was very gracious and endorsed me, so I appreciate that,” President Trump added.

“I look forward to working with Ron … to defeat crooked Joe Biden,” President Trump said.

With Mr. DeSantis’ departure from the race, the GOP’s 2024 nomination is now down to two major contenders: President Trump and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley.

While Ms. Haley finished third in Iowa, polls show that she’s in a much stronger position in New Hampshire, where voters are on average less conservative and less religious.

Some polls show her neck and neck with President Trump, while others show her substantially behind—leaving unclear what the final tally in the state will look like.

With Mr. DeSantis gone, President Trump has turned most of his energy to going on the offense against Ms. Haley, a tactic he continued during his Rochester speech.

“Here in New Hampshire, Nikki Haley has made an unholy alliance with RINOs, Never Trumpers, and ‘Americans for No Prosperity,’” President Trump said, in a cheeky jab at the Koch brothers-backed super PAC “Americans for Prosperity” that backs Ms. Haley.

Repeating a line of attack he’s said at other recent rallies, President Trump said that Ms. Haley’s backers are “pro-amnesty, pro-China, pro-open borders, pro-war, pro-deep state, and pro-Biden.”

Yemen Another ‘Endless War’

President Donald Trump also sniped at U.S. military activity targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

President Trump, who has made anti-interventionist and anti-war positions a key part of his political identity, criticized the United States for carrying out missile strikes in Yemen, saying the activity constituted a new “endless war.” Were he in the White House, he said, he could solve the problem with a phone call.

President Trump was referencing a series of joint strikes carried out by the United States, United Kingdom, and other U.S. allies on Houthi rebels in Yemen after the Iran-backed Islamist group attacked ships in the Red Sea.

Specifically, while criticizing the Republican establishment, President Trump said they “spend trillions and trillions of dollars on really dumb endless wars.”

“They never end. They go on for … 24 years.”

Now, President Trump said, “we have a new war going on in the Middle East. We’re dropping bombs all over the place again.”

“You can do it with a telephone call and be much tougher if you know what you’re doing,” he added.

‘Fentanyl Blockade’

President Trump also vowed to impose a “full fentanyl blockade” using the full strength of the U.S. Navy if reelected.

“I will deploy the U.S. Navy to impose a full fentanyl blockade on the waters of our region,” President Trump said, noting that many of the precursor chemicals for fentanyl come into Mexico by ship.

China is the main manufacturer of the chemicals that are eventually used by Mexican drug cartels to make fentanyl, which then floods into cities across the United States after coming across the border.

“Drug cartels are waging war in America and we will wage [war] and destroy … the drug cartels.”

Rochester, where President Trump delivered his remarks, is a bellwether town that’s picked the eventual Republican primary winner for 70 years.

Due to a limited capacity of 760 occupants in the location where the remarks were given, space was strictly limited.

Still, despite blisteringly cold weather in the teens, some people set up outside the venue as early as 9:30 a.m. to ensure a place inside.

New Hampshire is an important test for Ms. Haley’s viability.

While she only received third place in Iowa—over 30 points behind President Trump’s historic win—New Hampshire is less conservative and less religious, making it more amenable to her sometimes anti-Trump messaging.

A win in New Hampshire could keep her in the race, potentially giving her the momentum to become a serious rival to President Trump.

Failure to win the state could indicate trouble for Ms. Haley.

A win for President Trump, meanwhile, would all but cement his place as the Republican nominee.

A loss, meanwhile, would still leave Ms. Haley with a great deal of ground to catch up on in future battles, where she still largely trails President Trump by wide margins.