'Spineless coward': Experts blast Sen. Tim Scott’s Trump endorsement on social media

Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) — who was one of former President Donald Trump's opponents in the 2024 Republican presidential primary just a few months ago — has endorsed the ex-president just days before the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary. He's expected to give an endorsement speech at a rally in the Granite State tonight.

The endorsement of South Carolina's junior US senator likely came as a shock to former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who appointed Scott to his seat after former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) resigned in 2012 to lead the Heritage Foundation. This fact was not lost on commentators taking to social media to call out Scott's hypocrisy.

"This man owes his entire political career to Haley and yet..." tweeted housing policy advocate Seth Bynum, who also responded to the news of Scott's endorsement of Trump with "HAHAHA" in a separate post.

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News of Scott's endorsement also surprised journalists and pundits. CBS News reporter Kathryn Watson pointed out that in October, Scott cast doubt on Trump's electability in swing states, saying "I don't think he can win. You have to be able to win in Georgia. I don’t think he can win in Georgia. I think you’ll have to be able to win in Pennsylvania."

Massachusetts journalist Adam Bass opined that Scott endorsing Trump over Haley was "the nail in the coffin" for the former South Carolina governor's presidential hopes. Political strategist Dennis Herring observed "One by one, they topple." And political commentator Chris Cillizza simply tweeted "It's. All. Over."

Some social media users used the news of Scott's endorsement to critique the South Carolina senator's apparent flip-flopping. Joe Perticone, who writes for anti-Trump conservative website The Bulwark, responded to the news by posting a 2020 headline of Scott referring to Trump's retweet of a supporter yelling "white power" as "indefensible." Biblical scholar Michael Kinsman was more direct in his criticism of the evangelical South Carolina senator, calling him a "spineless coward."

Scott's endorsement comes on the heels of former GOP contender Vivek Ramaswamy's endorsement, who dropped out after placing fourth in the Iowa Republican Caucuses earlier this week. New Hampshire voters will head to the polls on Tuesday.

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