Ron DeSantis, governor of the U.S. state of Florida, has ended his campaign to secure the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States.

He endorsed former president, Donald Trump.

DeEnd

As reported by Reuters, Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign on Jan. 21, a fancy way of saying that he was quitting the race, baring an exceptional circumstance, such as death or incapacity of a candidate.

DeSantis left the race two days before the New Hampshire primary, the second contest of the Republican primary season and a week after a disappointing Iowa caucus performance left him in a distant third place.

DeSantis took to Twitter, now X, to explain his exit, saying that “there was not a clear” path to victory, and that he was endorsing Trump for Republican leader.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

- Winston Churchill pic.twitter.com/ECoR8YeiMm

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) January 21, 2024

Trump appears set to win the Republican primary handily with his main rival, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, in second place.

DeSantis's support in New Hampshire was particularly dire, with CNN reporting that prior to him leaving the race, he held just 6 per cent support, and poll aggregator 538 reporting he had 11 per cent support nationally.

DeVersity

DeSantis is one of a range of politicians who has remade himself in the image of Trump, choosing to mirror his bombast and aggression.

His time as governor has been spent burnishing his “anti-woke” credentials, highlighting diversity and gender issues, and picking fights with his state’s largest employer in Disney.

The Guardian reported that his focus on so-called “culture war” issues may have aided his downfall, as such topics have become less important to voters, although have “not lost all their potency”.

DeSantis, like tech businessman Vivek Ramaswamy before him, has learnt the hard way that there’s no use offering Diet Trump when Original Recipe Trump is available.

But the New York Times also pointed out that DeSantis ran a poor campaign, that was at times described as ‘bizarre’.

During the campaign, he was mocked for his odd manner of speaking and an awkward, almost fake, smile; and constant accusation that he was using his footwear to make himself appear taller.

DesGrace

He was also subject to copious amounts of mockery from Trump who nicknamed him “DeSanctimonious”, although Trump has now said he will retire that nickname.

However, he had a store of even more derogatory nicknames for him in private, according to the Daily Beast.

Trump has also spent the better part of the past year taking apart DeSantis’ campaign in brutal fashion.

This is made clear in analysis by 538 of when Republican lawmakers chose to endorse Trump.

One notable event being DeSantis meeting with Republican leaders being overshadowed by Floridian congressmen endorsing Trump.

DeSantis appears to have read the writing on the wall, dropping out of the race and endorsing the man who first "made" him.

DesPerate

Trump’s victory in the Republican primaries seems inevitable.

Haley, who served as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations now remains the only credible alternative to Trump left in the race.

Haley holds 39 per cent support in the New Hampshire primary, due to be held on Jan. 23, with Trump holding a double digit lead at 50 per cent, according to CNN.

But it should be noted that New Hampshire allows political independents to participate in their primary, even though they will not necessarily support them in the November general election.

She now has the unenviable task of both distancing herself from Trump to look unique, but still in touch with his supporters, a task that seems impossible.

According 538, Trump has a staggering 53.9 per cent lead over Haley nationally, at 66.2 per cent to 12.3 per cent.

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Top image via @rondesantis/X