The move comes just two days before the crucial Republican primary in New Hampshire and means Mr Trump has only one rival left, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Halley, to compete for the party’s nomination.
Less than a week before announcing the above decision, Mr. DeSantis suffered a heavy defeat to Mr. Trump in the Iowa primary election, despite having invested heavily in the election campaign in this state. This is considered a shocking defeat for the Governor, after he was considered by the public to be Mr. Trump’s strongest opponent in the race for the Republican Party’s candidate to compete with Democratic President Joe Biden in the general election taking place in November this year.
Mr DeSantis’s withdrawal leaves the race for the Republican nomination as a one-on-one battle between Mr Trump and Ms Halley, who remains the party’s favourite candidate despite facing four criminal charges – all of which he denies.
A majority of Republican voters who supported Mr. DeSantis are leaning toward supporting Mr. Trump instead of Ms. Haley, the more moderate candidate. According to Mr. Andrew Smith, Director of the University of New Hampshire Polling Center, about two-thirds of Republican voters who supported Mr. DeSantis consider Mr. Trump their second choice.
Polls also show Mr Trump leading Ms Halley by double digits in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s primary. After Mr Trump’s victory in Iowa last week, his team is hoping he can win again in New Hampshire this week, making him all but certain to win the Republican nomination.
Mr. Trump also has a large lead in polls in South Carolina, where the Republican Party will hold its primary on February 24. If she loses in South Carolina, Ms. Haley will be considered out of the running this year, because this is the state where she served as governor from 2011-2017.
David Kochel, a Republican strategist who has worked on five presidential campaigns, said DeSantis’s exit was unlikely to have much of an impact on the direction of the race, given his already-shattering support among Republican voters.
“The race needs a big shift in momentum and I don’t think DeSantis’ withdrawal will make a big difference because he doesn’t have much of a chance in New Hampshire or South Carolina,” Kochiel said.
Early last year, Mr. DeSantis was considered a leading presidential candidate and a political “heir” to Mr. Trump due to his fierce style and deeply conservative views similar to the former President. He led Mr. Trump in many public opinion polls.
However, support for Mr. DeSantis has declined in recent months due to a flawed campaign strategy. The governor appeared uncomfortable with voters throughout the campaign, and did not have the solid support of a majority of Republican voters like Mr. Trump.
According to recent polls, more than 70% of Republicans support Trump. This puts DeSantis in the difficult position of having to convince both voters who do not like him and those who still admire him. DeSantis has failed at both: he has never shown that he is a better choice to Trump’s loyalists; while Republicans who want to oust Trump have spread their votes among many candidates rather than focusing on DeSantis.
Many big donors initially backed Mr. DeSantis, but by the summer of 2023, they were starting to feel discouraged. Some of Mr. DeSantis’s allies said he waited too long to enter the race, leaving him vulnerable to fierce attacks from Mr. Trump, who announced his campaign six months early.
