Donald Trump didn't just want to win in New Hampshire, he wanted to beat Nikki Haley so badly that his sole rival for the Republican presidential nomination would drop out before the next competitive contest in South Carolina a month away. The former president easily bested the former South Carolina governor on Tuesday, but his carefully crafted strategy to drive Haley out of the race fell short, denying Trump the chance, for now, to focus all his attention on Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and the November general election. Trump, 77, was full of fury after Haley, 52, vowed in a Tuesday night speech to fight on, just two days after the other leading Republican contender, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ended his campaign.

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Donald Trump didn’t just want to win in New Hampshire, he wanted to beat Nikki Haley so badly that his sole rival for the Republican presidential nomination would drop out before the next competitive contest in South Carolina a month away.

The former president easily bested the former South Carolina governor on Tuesday, but his carefully crafted strategy to drive Haley out of the race fell short, denying Trump the chance, for now, to focus all his attention on Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and the November general election.

Trump, 77, was full of fury after Haley, 52, vowed in a Tuesday night speech to fight on, just two days after the other leading Republican contender, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ended his campaign.