Ron DeSantis suspends presidential bid and endorses Trump after campaign meltdown: 2024 live updates

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,” were words never said by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, according to the International Churchill Society.

Former presidential candidate Ron DeSantis used the quote in a post to X, formerly Twitter, announcing the end of his campaign.

Reacting to a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published in 2013 which used the same quote, the organisation tasked with preserving the legacy of the prime minister, said Mr Churchill never used the quote or one similar.

“We base this on careful research in the canon of fifty million words by and about Churchill, including all of his books, articles, speeches and papers,” the organisation said.

“Fire sale on all Ron DeSantis merch today!” the Democratic West Coast governor said in a post to X shortly after Mr DeSantis announced the end of his campaign.

The political rivals faced-off in December debate, despite Mr Newsom not currently running for president.

“One thing that we have in common is neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024,” Mr Newsom said during the debate.

“Liza Minnelli has outlived Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign. The anti-LGBT bully never gained traction despite spending millions of dollars,” the account said in a post on X shortly after the Republican presidential hopeful suspended his campaign.

Before presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday, polls had him in third place significantly behind Nikki Haley.

Mr Trump was polled at 50 per cent in Tuesday’s primary, with Ms Haley in second place at 39 per cent and Mr DeSantis at 6 per cent, according to data released on Sunday.

Presidential candidate Nikki Haley responded to the news of Ron DeSantis dropping out of the race while speaking at a campaign event on Sunday ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

“We just heard that Ron DeSantis has dropped out of the race,” Ms Haley told the crowd of supporters. “I want to say to Ron, he ran a great race. He’s been a good governor and we wish him well.”

She added: “Having said that, it’s now one fella and one lady left.” Ms Haley is currently trailing behind Mr Trump in the polls.

“It’s clear to me a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” Mr DeSantis said in a video message on Sunday suspending his campaign and endorsing the former president.

“They watched his presidency get stymied by relentless resistance,” he continued, pointing out his disagreements with Mr Trump.

Still, he said, “Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear.

“I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honour that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pulling out of the presidential race, he announced in a video statement on Sunday.

“Following our second place finish in Iowa, we’ve prayed and deliberated on the way forward,” Mr DeSantis said. “If there was anything I could do to produce a favourable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it.”

But, he said, “I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”

Mr DeSantis came in second behind former president Donald Trump in Iowa, but had been trailing behind Nikki Haley and Mr Trump ahead of the New Hampshire primary next week.

A poll from CNN conducted by the University of New Hampshire places Mr Trump at 50 per cent in Tuesday’s primary, with Ms Haley in second place at 39 per cent. Meanwhile, Mr DeSantis is polling at just 6 per cent, according to the data released on Sunday.

This latest poll from CNN indicates a marked change from their previous poll taken ahead of the Iowa caucuses, showing Mr Trump at 39 per cent and Ms Haley much closer at 32 per cent. Mr DeSantis, however, was still trailing far behind at 5 per cent even in early January.

Read more on the New Hampshire primary projections ahead of this Tuesday:

The governor cancelled appearances on both CNN’s State of the Union and NBC’s Meet the Press on 21 January, CNN’s Jim Acosta reported on Saturday night, spurring questions about the state of his campaign. Less than an hour later, Mr DeSantis’ press secretary released a statement.

“The media hits were canceled due to a scheduling issue and will be rescheduled,” press secretary Bryan Griffin said on X. “The governor will be traveling Sunday morning with the campaign and has public events scheduled Sunday evening through Tuesday in NH.”

However, observers are still speculating this could indicate the end of the DeSantis presidential campaign.