Trump’s challenger, Tim Scott, shockingly & abruptly drops out, ending presidential bid
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A Black American Republican presidential aspirant, Mr. Tim Scott, and one of the challengers of former President Donald Trump, has shockingly and abruptly dropped out of the 2024 race.
Mr. Scott announced his departure late Sunday just two months before the start of voting in Iowa’s leadoff GOP caucuses, causing panic among his donors and campaign staff.
The South Carolina senator, who entered the race in May with high hopes, made the surprise announcement on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Night in America” with Trey Gowdy, one of his closest friends.
The news was so unanticipated that The Associated Press (AP) quoted one campaign worker as saying that campaign staff found out Scott was dropping out by watching the show.
“I love America more today than I did on May 22,” Scott said Sunday. “But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate.
“I am suspending my campaign. I think the voters who are the most remarkable people on the planet have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim.’”
Scott’s impending departure comes as he and the rest of the GOP field have struggled in a race that has been dominated by former President Donald Trump.
Despite four criminal indictments and a slew of other legal challenges, Trump continues to poll far ahead of his rivals, leading many in the party to conclude the race is effectively over, barring some stunning change of fortune.
Scott, in particular, has had trouble gaining traction in the polls, despite millions spent on his behalf by high-profile donors.
In his efforts to run a positive campaign, he was often overshadowed by other candidates — particularly on the debate stage, where he seemed to disappear as others sparred.
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It was unclear whether Scott would qualify for the upcoming fourth debate, which will require higher polling numbers and more donors.
He, in the meantime, said he wouldn’t immediately be endorsing any of his remaining Republican rivals.
Scott is reportedly the second major candidate to leave the race since the end of October after former Vice President Mike Pence suspended his campaign two weeks ago.
Pence had announced at a Republican Jewish Coalition gathering in Las Vegas: “This is not my time,” polling behind Scott and in a far more precarious financial position. Read more.
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