Trump exposed as 'weaker than expected' after surprisingly close New Hampshire win: report

Former President Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, defeating former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in one of her best chances at an upset. But did he really do that well?

Sam Brodey, the deputy politics director for The Daily Beast, doesn't think so.

"In Tuesday’s primary election, Nikki Haley did not pull off the stunning upset win over Trump that she hoped for. She may not even keep the race within single digits. But she did show that the former president isn't quite as strong as he projected — with New Hampshire offering a split outcome that could prolong this 2024 primary race instead of pulling the plug on it," wrote Brodey. "While the final results will take quite a while, Haley appears to have kept the New Hampshire primary somewhat competitive, though she didn't quite give Trump a true scare. After the polls closed at 8 p.m., it only took a matter of minutes for the Associated Press to call the primary for Trump. The former president is currently up by about 12 points with 25% of New Hampshire reporting."

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Shortly after the race was called, Haley gave a fiery speech more typically associated with a winning campaign, proclaiming, "New Hampshire is the first in the nation, it is not the last in the nation," and vowing to stay in the race, casting doubt on Trump's ability to win a general election.

"Trump and his team will, of course, celebrate the win, but it's far from the massive victory Trump was predicting Monday night," Brodey continued. "Indeed, Trump was already complaining about the result before polls had even closed, posting to his Truth Social account that it was 'SO RIDICULOUS' that Democrats and independents are allowed to vote in the primary. (Registered Democrats are not allowed to vote in the primary.) 'BUT WORD IS WE ARE DOING REALLY WELL!!!' Trump nevertheless insisted."

The next major contest in which Trump and Haley will be on the same ballot is South Carolina, Haley's home state. After that will come the Super Tuesday races, when a huge chunk of delegates all across the country will be awarded.