Ron DeSantis suspends his presidential bid, endorses Donald Trump

The move comes two days before the primary in the state, where he was projected to fall behind both former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Ron DeSantis Holds Election Night Event In Tampa
Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, once seen as the most formidable opponent to Donald Trump in the Republican presidential primary, suspended his race Sunday and endorsed the former president.

The move comes two days before the New Hampshire primary.

DeSantis made the announcement in a video on X — the same social media platform where he did the glitchy rollout of his White House bid.

“Now, following our second-place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on the way forward," he said. "If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it. But I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources. We don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign."

"It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance," he said, adding, "He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, or repackage formed of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents."

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.

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