by Pressing his lead over Nikki Haley in the final stretch before the New Hampshire primary, Donald J. Trump will surround himself with South Carolina leaders, including Haley’s successor as governor, at a rally Saturday night to portray her as politically without friends at home, two Trump campaign officials said.
The former president plans the show of force to build his own momentum ahead of Tuesday’s vote and highlight Ms. Haley’s lack of support in her home state, the officials said, insisting on anonymity to discuss campaign strategy.
Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina, who endorsed Mr. Trump In November 2022, shortly after announcing his third presidential bid, he will speak to voters in Manchester, NH. She will be accompanied by the state’s lieutenant governor, Pamela Evette; Alan Wilson, the attorney general; Curtis Loftis, the treasurer; Murrell Smith, Speaker of the House of Representatives; and three state congressmen, Joe Wilson, William Timmons and Russell Fry.
A campaign adviser said the South Carolina travel list was intended to help Trump make the argument he has made since his landslide victory in Iowa: that he is so unlikely to be overtaken that his rivals should suspend their campaigns. so he and the Republican Party can focus on defeating President Biden in November.
The guest appearances could humiliate Haley and further undermine her case for the nomination by illustrating how isolated she appears to be in her own state, where the Republican primary will be held on February 24. And the South Carolina group endorsing Trump on Saturday will follow the state’s junior senator, Tim Scott, who endorsed Trump in Concord, NH, on Friday.
Haley is not without support in South Carolina, where she served as governor from 2011 to 2017, when Trump named her ambassador to the United Nations. She has the endorsement of Rep. Ralph Norman and Katon Dawson, former state Republican chairman, along with a small number of South Carolina legislators.
When asked at a campaign rally in Peterborough, NH, about McMaster’s campaign with Trump, Haley responded: “I’m sorry, is that the person I ran for governor against and beat? Just check it out.” Ms. Haley defeated Mr. McMaster in the 2010 primary, and he quickly endorsed her.
He also suggested that her inability to win high-profile supporters in both her home state and Washington was due to her willingness to pressure state lawmakers and veto her pet projects when she was governor, along with her criticism of Congress during the campaign.
“If Donald Trump loves all his politicians, and they all want to come to him, they can do that,” Haley said. “But that’s all I’m fighting against.”
Haley’s path to the nomination likely depends on a victory or a close second place in New Hampshire, where independent voters make up 40 percent of the electorate. Although Trump maintains a large lead in the polls, Haley has narrowed that lead recently, effectively turning the primary into a two-person race in the state.
But Haley would need to follow up a strong performance in New Hampshire with another in South Carolina, where Trump enjoys a large and loyal following. He leads the South Carolina polls by a wide margin and can also count on the support of Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally.
While campaigning Saturday in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida was asked about South Carolina elected officials’ support for Trump. “Iowa Republican leadership lined up behind me and we came in second,” DeSantis told reporters. “So I think there’s a limit to what leadership can do.”
The Trump campaign is eager to force Haley and DeSantis out of the race before the South Carolina primary, hoping to avoid what could otherwise be a costly delegate fight that would last into March.
As the New Hampshire primary approaches, Trump has increasingly escalated and sharpened his attacks on Haley. He now often argues that while she did an adequate job managing her, she does not have what it takes to lead on her own.
“She’s not presidential material,” Trump said bluntly in Concord on Friday.
Trump has also repeatedly tried to walk back his previous praise of Haley, frequently claiming that he appointed her ambassador to the United Nations only to clear the way for McMaster to become governor.
Jazmín Ulloa contributed with reports.
