Donald Trump’s Divided Republican Party

He wins big in South Carolina but won’t beat Joe Biden without Nikki Haley’s voters.

By The Editorial Board - Feb. 24, 2024

Donald Trump’s easy victory in South Carolina over Nikki Haley on Saturday was another large stride toward his third Republican presidential nomination. But the results also revealed that the former President presides over a divided party, and the fault isn’t Ms. Haley’s.

Mr. Trump’s victory again proved that he clearly is the favorite of most GOP partisans, as the exit poll shows he dominated with most party groups. His 20-point or so victory shows how much he now dominates the GOP, even if his vote share did underperform what most polls had predicted. Democrats could vote in the GOP primary, yet few of them showed up to help Ms. Haley. They may be happy to see a beatable Mr. Trump as the GOP nominee.

Republicans consider Mr. Trump to be more or less an incumbent who was denied a second term, and many think he deserves another chance to beat the beatable President Biden. The polls show GOP voters think indictments against Mr. Trump by Democratic prosecutors are unfair, and a good deal of their support is based on pushing back against that abuse of the legal system.

Mr. Trump dominated among voters who think border security is the most important issue, which is another gift from Mr. Biden. Between the indictments and the President’s manifest border failures, Democrats have given Mr. Trump a huge lift in the GOP primaries. Mr. Biden’s 40% approval rating has also convinced most Republicans that any nominee can defeat the President.

Yet Ms. Haley won nearly 40% of the vote, which as she said in remarks Saturday evening “is not some tiny group.” That’s especially true running against a quasi-incumbent who was endorsed by nearly every GOP official in the state. None of them want to risk getting a primary challenge if they fail to bend the knee to Mr. Trump. Yet as in New Hampshire, the size of her vote shows that millions in the party don’t want Mr. Trump back in the White House.

A Fox News voter analysis found that 59% of Ms. Haley’s voters say they wouldn’t vote for Mr. Trump if he is the GOP nominee. And the exit poll showed that 36% of voters said a conviction in one of his criminal trials would make him unfit to be President. Even if most of those voters hold their noses and vote for Mr. Trump in a race against Mr. Biden, the question is how many stay home, vote for a third party, or go over to Mr. Biden. Even a 10% defection could be decisive.

Ms. Haley said she’ll fight on through Michigan and the multiple “Super Tuesday” states on March 5. She has earned enough support to do so, and by all accounts she has more than enough money to keep fighting. That her fund-raising is so strong is another sign that Mr. Trump hasn’t united the GOP.

The Trump campaign blames Ms. Haley for dividing the party by staying in the race, yet they also claim to be looking past her to November. But if they’re really focused on the autumn, they ought to be working to unite the party and draw her voters back into the fold.

Mr. Trump is making no such effort. He didn’t mention her in his remarks on Saturday, and his campaign continues to threaten Ms. Haley and anyone else who isn’t lining up behind Mr. Trump. Unlike Mr. Biden with Bernie Sanders in 2020, Mr. Trump can’t attract her or her voters with policy concessions because their policy positions are similar. The biggest exceptions are her support for Ukraine and U.S. alliances, but Mr. Trump isn’t likely to budge on either.

Ms. Haley’s main case against Mr. Trump is his personal behavior and divisive brand of politics. Mr. Trump isn’t likely to change that, which may explain why his campaign against Mr. Biden has already taken on apocalyptic negative tones. By the time November arrives in a Biden-Trump race, both sides will be predicting hellfire-and-damnation if the other side wins.

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There’s no denying that Ms. Haley faces an uphill battle in a party in which Mr. Trump and his allies have become the establishment. It’s long past time to retire the media trope that Donald Trump is some insurgent against the establishment. When you’ve been President and may be the three-time nominee, you’re as establishment as it gets.

Ms. Haley is telling voters she can be the alternative as a uniter that millions of them seem to want. It’s a message worth staying in the race for, as is the case for not abandoning Ukraine, Israel or Taiwan. She is also staking out a claim to be the candidate in 2028 who could say she warned Republicans if Mr. Trump loses this year. If Mr. Trump can’t win over more of her voters, he could make Ms. Haley a prophet.

Donald Trump’s Divided Republican Party - WSJ

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Saudi Arabia unveils major gas discovery in Jafurah Field: Ministry of Energy

With the latest discovery, the quantity of resources in the field has become 229 trillion standard cubic feet of gas and 75 billion barrels of condensate, the ministry added in the press statement, citing the Kingdom’s energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian Oil Co. has discovered an additional 15 trillion standard cubic feet of gas in the Kingdom’s Jafurah Field. 

According to a press statement from the Ministry of Energy, the discovery also includes 2 billion barrels of condensate. 

With the latest discovery, the quantity of resources in the field has become 229 trillion standard cubic feet of gas and 75 billion barrels of condensate, the ministry added in the press statement, citing the Kingdom’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. 

This discovery made by the energy giant, also known as Saudi Aramco, was a result of applying the highest international standards in estimating and developing hydrocarbon resources to ensure their proper exploitation, the statement added.  

In November 2023, the Ministry of Energy announced that Saudi Aramco had discovered two new gas fields in the Eastern Province and the Empty Quarter respectively. 

In a press statement, the ministry said the first discovery occurred at the Hanifa reservoir in the Al-Hiran-1 well.  

It reported that the field was discovered after gas flowed at a rate of 30 million scf per day from the said reservoir, along with 1,600 barrels of condensate.  

The second discovery was made at the Al-Mahakek-2 well, where the natural resource flowed at 0.85 million scf per day. 

The ministry added that gas was also discovered in five other reservoirs in previously discovered fields, including the Jalla reservoir in the Assekra field, where gas flowed at a rate of 46 million scf per day.  

In November, Saudi Aramco also began the production of unconventional tight gas from its South Ghawar operational area, two months ahead of its schedule. 

Unconventional tight gas, also known as shale gas, is typically found in reserves where hydrocarbons are tightly trapped within rock layers.  

Extracting this resource demands specialized techniques like horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. 

The commissioned facilities at South Ghawar currently have a processing capacity of 300 million scf per day for raw gas and 38,000 barrels per day for condensate. 

Earlier in February, speaking at the International Petroleum Technology Conference in Dhahran, Amin H. Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco, said that the company is eyeing continuity in the production of all types of energy, including oil and gas, along with renewables.  

He also added that Aramco has the full capability to grow in any sector to create profitable companies. 

Saudi Arabia unveils major gas discovery in Jafurah Field: Ministry of Energy  | Arab News

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Arab-Turkish economic ties flourish with $55bn intra-trade 

RIYADH: Arab-Turkish economic relations are continuing to progress at all levels, with the volume of intra-trade standing at $55 billion, as stated by the secretary-general of the Union of Arab Chambers.  

Khaled Hanafi added that exports from the Turkish nation are increasing annually by about 10 percent, and the presence of direct and indirect Arab investments in Turkiye has grown significantly in recent years. 

The discussion took place during the fifth joint meeting of the Arab and Turkish Chambers, convened in Egypt. The event was attended by numerous heads of chambers of commerce and industry leaders from Arab nations and Turkiye. 

During the meeting, Sameer Abdulla Nass, president of the Union of Arab Chambers and president of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce, stressed the significance of increasing the openness of Arab economies at both regional and international levels. 

He further underscored the importance of achieving optimal benefits from trade agreements concluded by Arab countries to boost their exports and enhance their capacity. 

The president explained that this step would help remove all challenges and restrictions on the movement of trade between countries and attract foreign capital to contribute to creating opportunities for partnerships that achieve the common interest of all parties. 

He also highlighted the importance of such meetings and conferences as opportunities to build strong relations between the Arab world and Turkiye. Especially noteworthy is the Arab-Turkish chamber, which, since its establishment, has played a significant role in raising the level of trade, economic, and investment exchange. 

For his part, the Minister of Trade and Industry of Egypt, Ahmed Samir, stressed the importance of the business community in the Arab countries and Turkiye benefiting from the political relations between their nations. This collaboration aims to develop economic cooperation in areas such as joint manufacturing, the enhancement of intra-trade, support for transportation and logistics, and ensuring food security. 

He urged the Arab and Turkish chambers to capitalize on the opportunities presented in the Arab Republic of Egypt, including those associated with the Suez Canal axis, the golden license, and the state ownership policy. 

Arab-Turkish economic ties flourish with $55bn intra-trade  (arabnews.com)

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