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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

U.S. President Joe Biden and presidential hopeful Donald Trump have already begun looking ahead to November, with the president characterizing Trump as a mortal threat to the republic.

Before flying to South Carolina to watch primary returns on Saturday, Trump addressed a gathering of conservative activists near Washington in a 90-minute speech that painted a dark picture of a declining America under Biden.

He won the primary, beating Nikki Haley in her home state.

He said if he beats Biden in the Nov. 5 general election it will represent a “judgment day” for the U.S. and “my ultimate and absolute revenge.”

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy emerged as favorites for Trump’s vice-presidential pick, according to a poll of activists at the conservative conference. They each received 15% support.

Haley, whose foreign policy credentials are at the center of her campaign, has focused in recent days on Trump’s stance toward Russia following the death of Alexei Navalny, the main opposition leader there.

She criticized Trump for waiting days before commenting on Navalny’s death and then for failing to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin. She also condemned Trump’s recent remarks that he would not defend NATO allies from a Russian attack if he felt they had not spent enough on defense.

Haley had hoped that South Carolina’s “open” primary, which allows registered voter to cast a ballot, would lead to turnout among independents and even some Democrats who are determined to stop Trump.

But Edison exit poll data showed only 21% of voters considered themselves moderate or liberal, only slightly higher than the 19% who said the same in the party’s 2016 primary.

Kelli Poindexter, a Democrat and transcriptionist who lives in Columbia, voted for Haley “simply to, maybe, cancel out one of the Donald Trump votes.”

“I think he’s dangerous,” Poindexter said. “I think he’s a threat. And if Democrats come out and give a vote to Nikki, it takes one away from him.”

But Kevin Marsh, a 59-year-old Republican and truck driver who also lives in Columbia, said he voted for Trump on Saturday because he trusts him more than Haley.

“She’s more of a globalist and I just can’t support that,” Marsh said.