Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump.
He made the decision before the Republican primary election in New Hampshire, where he was trailing far behind in the polls.
Mr DeSantis was once seen as a strong candidate for the party’s nomination – but on Sunday he admitted he had no chance of winning.
Nikki Haley, Mr Trump’s sole remaining rival, said she was the “only one” who could defeat US President Joe Biden.
Ms Haley will face Mr Trump in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the second of a series of state-by-state contests to choose a Republican nominee for the November general election.
In a video on X, formerly Twitter, released on Sunday afternoon, Mr DeSantis said his campaign had “given it everything”.
“If there was anything I could do to change the outcome – more campaign stops, more interviews – I would do it,” he said, as he ended his seven-month campaign.
The Florida governor said he was backing Mr Trump, who is the clear favourite after winning the first contest in Iowa with 51% of the vote. Mr DeSantis said it was obvious that most Republican voters “want to give Donald Trump another shot”. He acknowledged “differences” with the former president, but said Mr Trump was “better” than Mr Biden, who is likely to be the Democratic nominee in November’s general election.
“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will keep that pledge,” Mr DeSantis said.
There were loud cheers when Mr Trump commented on Mr DeSantis’s exit and endorsement to a room full of supporters in New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon.
Later, speaking to a crowd at a rally, Mr Trump praised his former opponent as a “really great guy”, adding: “He ran a really tough campaign, it’s not easy.”
Mr DeSantis had portrayed himself as the Republican candidate who could deliver Mr Trump’s populist agenda without the drama or baggage.
But one of the speakers at the event, Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, called him “diet Trump”. And several supporters of Mr Trump told the BBC they liked the Florida governor but felt this was not his time.
Lynne Mason, 60, said she thought Mr DeSantis’s campaign was “a little weak” and she had “expected more from him”. Mr Trump, she added, was the “only person at this time who can save this country”.
BethAnne Tatro, another local backing Mr Trump, agreed. “I think that President Trump has shown, from being in office before, that he can do this again and get things back on track.”
