Ron DeSantis suspends campaign for president
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68051757Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Donald Trump.
The surprise video announcement comes ahead of this week's New Hampshire Republican primary, where Mr DeSantis was polling in the single digits.
Earlier in the day, Mr DeSantis dropped out of several planned media hits and had a single event scheduled in New Hampshire.
His departure leaves Nikki Haley as Mr Trump's only significant rival.
Mr DeSantis said his campaign "left it all out on the field" in the nearly five-minute long video on X, which comes seven months after a rocky start to his presidential campaign.
"If there was anything I could do to produce a favourable outcome - more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it," he said. "We don't have a clear path to victory."
In the video, Mr DeSantis said he was endorsing Mr Trump because it had "become clear" that "a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance".
While the Florida governor acknowledged "disagreements" with Mr Trump, he said he is "superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden".
"That is clear," he added. "I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honour that pledge."
