As former President Donald Trump prepared to fly to Nevada for a campaign rally on Saturday, a Manhattan jury delivered a verdict ordering him to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defamation. This news punctuated a week where Trump had successfully navigated the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, and was looking to shift his attention towards President Joe Biden.
The verdict served as a stark reminder that despite a potential third consecutive Republican nomination on the horizon, Trump is simultaneously battling legal challenges in federal and state courts, and a heated Republican primary race against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Both Trump and Biden are treating this weekend as the beginning of the general election, focusing on states where they are expected to win their parties’ early-February nominating contests. Trump is in Nevada, while Biden is in South Carolina. Haley is also in South Carolina, holding a pair of weekend events as she continues to challenge Trump as the sole remaining Republican primary rival ahead of the Palmetto State’s February 24 primary.
Trump has been using the courtroom as a campaign platform, appearing in person several times, despite not being required to do so. He left before a verdict was announced, allowing his lawyer, Alina Habba, to address the media on his behalf. Trump expressed his frustration with the legal system on his social media network, Truth Social, stating, “Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!”
Throughout the 2024 Republican primary, Trump’s legal challenges, including federal and state charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, have largely rallied conservatives to his side. However, Haley has recently angered the former president by insisting on remaining in the GOP race despite finishing 11 points behind Trump in New Hampshire.
Haley has been increasingly critical of Trump’s legal battles and public remarks, using them to argue that he would lose in November. She has also been critical of both Trump and Biden’s ages and has questioned Trump’s mental acuity. Haley’s criticisms of the former president have escalated in recent days, and she is making these criticisms in front of conservative audiences that have rallied behind Trump in the wake of his legal challenges.
Despite being a long shot for the GOP nomination, Haley is channeling the frustrations of a segment of the Republican Party, highlighting the political costs the party has paid in recent elections for its allegiance to Trump. Haley has two weekend rallies planned in her home state and is set to begin an important week of fundraising, with multiple fundraisers scheduled for New York on Monday followed by events in Palm Beach and Miami on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Trump’s trip to Nevada is more likely geared towards the general election. Nevada, with six Electoral College votes, is expected to be a presidential battleground this fall. Democrats have won every presidential race in the Silver State since 2008, but Republicans won back the governorship in 2022, and Democrats face a tough fight defending that Senate seat this fall.
As the general election approaches, it’s not clear whether moderates and independents will see Trump’s court battles as politically motivated attacks on conservatives. Biden’s South Carolina trip comes a week before the state’s February 3 primary officially kicks off the Democratic nominating process, with early voting already underway. South Carolina’s primary will pose a key early test of whether Biden has maintained his strength with Black voters, a key coalition that propelled him to victory in 2020.
The Biden campaign has long been preparing for Trump to win the nomination, but it is acutely aware of polling reflecting Haley’s strength over Biden in a one-on-one matchup. The Biden campaign is cheering Haley’s decision to stay in the race as they monitor Trump lashing out at the former South Carolina governor. It has been welcome news for the president’s reelection team to see Haley prolong the Republican contest and force the Trump campaign to use its resources and time to attack her.
Contributors: Betsy Klein, Kylie Atwood, Jeff Zeleny, Fredreka Schouten, Ebony Davis, MJ Lee, Kristen Holmes, Kate Sullivan, Arlette Saenz and David Wright.