Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) will endorse former President Donald Trump Friday to be the 2024 Republican nominee, in a blow to fellow South Carolinian, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
Scott plans to endorse Trump for president at a rally in New Hampshire, just days before the state’s first-in-the-nation primary, a source familiar confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
The choice to back Trump rather than Haley is particularly significant given Haley and Scott’s history. When governor, Haley appointed Scott to the Senate in 2012 to replace former Sen. Jim DeMint.
“It is with great pleasure that I am announcing our next U.S. senator to be Congressman Tim Scott,” she said at the time. “I am strongly convinced that the entire state understands that this is the right U.S. senator for our state and our country.”
![President Donald Trump, with Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., second from left, and Ivanka Trump, top right, participate in a working session regarding the opportunity zones provided by tax reform in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, in Washington.](http://wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/opportunity-zones-1024x591.jpg)
Haley’s campaign did not provide comment to the Washington Examiner.
Earlier this week, it was reported that both Haley and Trump had called Scott, lobbying for his endorsement ahead of the South Carolina primary Feb. 24.
The choice to endorse Trump before the Jan. 23 New Hampshire contest could shore up his support among more centrist voters who had defected to Haley after Scott left the race. Its also likely to assist Trump in ensuring no one else gains traction in South Carolina, given Scott’s approval in the state.
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Scott, who ended his own presidential bid in the fall, joins other former candidates Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) and former biotech CEO Vivek Ramaswamy in backing the former president.
The Trump campaign did not provide comment on whether Scott was being considered as a potential running mate.