Haley donor Art Pope to Trump: If you want my millions you'll have to earn them. Republican moneyman weighs options after former South Carolina governor drops out of race

Deep pocketed Republican donor Art Pope on Wednesday said Donald Trump would have to change course on economic and budget policies if he wanted to win his support.

Pope poured his financial support into Nikki Haley's campaign. Like her other supporters he said he was now weighing his next move after she announced she was suspending her run after losing 14 out of 15 Super Tuesday states.

'I am a "never Biden" but not a never Trumper,' he said.

'It depends on what President Trump does. It depends on who he named as his vice president. It depends on what policies he chooses to emphasise during his campaign. 

'It depends on whether or not he reaches out to traditional conservatives like myself.'

Republican donor Art Pope backed Nikki Haley until she dropped out Wednesday. Now he and other supporters have to decide what to do with their money and their voters

A new phase opened in the 2024 presidential election on Wednesday morning: The battle for Haley's supporters and the battle for her donors.

As the last candidate standing against Trump, she became a fundraising magnet, pulling in $16 million in January and $12 million last month even as she suffered primary defeats. 

For her part, she declined to endorse Trump as she pulled out and said it was up to him to earn the votes of her supporters.

Both the former president and his 2024 rival President Joe Biden issued statements trying to do exactly that.

At the same time, Haley's financial backers are pondering their next move.

Some had been happy for her to stay in the race even as her path to victory became mathematically impossible, leaving her to act as a spokesperson for about a third of the party that were unwilling to get behind Trump.

Now she is out, they must make a decision: Bow out for this cycle or find the best place for their money. 

Pope, a North Carolina businessman who made his fortune with hundreds of retail stores, said he had been proud to back Haley's campaign, which he said was built on 'strength and grace.'

He endorsed Haley in November after former Vice President Mike Pence dropped out. He has long-standing ties to the powerful Koch political network, and is a former chair of Americans for Prosperity, which also put its considerable heft behind Haley.

Pope ruled out backing the independent run of RFK Jr (left) or the campaign of President Joe Biden. But he said Trump could win over if he returned to small government conservatism

On Tuesday night Donald Trump pointedly avoided mentioning Nikki Haley in his Super Tuesday speech. That all changed Wednesday morning when he slammed her

Trump vented his thoughts on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday morning yet still made an appeal for her supporters to back his White House run

Backing Robert Kennedy Jr., Pope said, was out of the question but remained open-minded about other possibilities. 

'There's always a black swan event: A failing in President Biden's health or President Trump health, an international crisis, whether No Labels would come up with a candidate for president, vice president that is attractive to me and had a chance of winning,' he added.

'Those are things I don't know. I'll decide as they come along.' 

Trump would need to change direction to win his support. That means dropping plans for a universal tariff on imports, a costed plan to reduce the debt and taking the looming Social Security funding crisis seriously.

'For me personally it is more traditional, limited government, free enterprise and low taxation,' he said, echoing Haley's platform.

He singled out Trump's plan for a universal 10 percent tariff on all imported goods. 

'A tariff is a tax on the American people, not just American families, consumers, but American employers, who import raw materials, components and equipment in order to conduct their manufacturing and create jobs in America,' he said.