BREAKING: Mitch McConnell Endorses Trump Following Nikki Haley's Exit From Presidential Race

On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) officially endorsed 45th President Donald Trump after his decisive victory against former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) in the Super Tuesday contests. 

"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. It should come as no surprise that as nominee, he will have my support. 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," McConnell said in a statement, per The Washington Post. "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."

McConnell's endorsement of the presumptive GOP nominee comes just hours after Nikki Haley announced her withdrawal from the race. Haley, who entered the race back in February 2023, was only able to win the state of Vermont during the Super Tuesday primary contests. Trump dominated the former UN ambassador in nearly every single contest, cumulating 995 delegates for the GOP convention later this year. Haley refused to wholeheartedly endorse Trump for president, but she did say that she wished him well.

"In all likelihood, Donald Trump will be the party nominee when our party convention meets in July. I congratulate him and wish him well," Haley said. "I wish anyone well who would be America's president. Our country is too precious to let our differences divide us. I have always been a conservative Republican and have always supported the Republican nominee. 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.' 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 that."

Trump's dominance of Super Tuesday shows the influence of the America First wing of the Republican Party. McConnell seemingly realized this fact when he announced his plans to resign from his position as Senate GOP leader in November. Haley, like McConnell, represented the old guard of the Republican Party that has attempted to maintain its influence. But Trump's dominance of the Republican primary shows that their desire to return the GOP to an older era isn't going to happen. Trump and the America First movement are here to stay.

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