Amid the concerns about acumen and cognitive wellbeing of the sitting US President Joe Biden who is known to make gaffes and mix ups, former US President and the GOP 2024 frontrunner, Donald Trump on Saturday confused his audience by calling his wife a car brand name. During a CPAC speech in Washington DC, Trump referred to his wife and the former First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump as “Mercedes.”

Trump told the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that the former First Lady receives standing ovation, describing how “people love her.” “Oh look at that Mercedes, that’s pretty good” he said as the audience cheered. The GOP presidential hopeful was making the keynote speech on the day that the voters head to the polls in the South Carolina primary. 

Nikki Haley ‘delusional’ for not dropping out South Carolina race

Trump, following his projected New Hampshire win, derided his  political rival South Carolina governor Nikki Haley “delusional” for not dropping out of the 2024 presidential race as voters headed for the polls. "I don’t get angry, I get even," he said in a trade of barbs with a two-term South Carolina state representative and a Republican majority whip Haley, before he was joined by Vivek Ramaswamy on stage for the additional remarks.

The former UN Ambassador tore into Trump’s backers, accusing them of trying “coronate" Trump by suggesting that she must abandon her campaign. After the New Hampshire primary, where she took all six votes in lone Dixville Notch town during midnight voting, Haley echoed her campaign’s posture that she won’t be dropping out— even though her loss at New Hampshire sparked calls to do exactly that. "South Carolina voters don't want a coronation, they want an election. And we're gonna give them one because we are just getting started,” Haley said.

House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, one of Trump’s most loyal allies on Capitol Hill, had called on the Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as well as Haley to drop out of the 2024 presidential race after former President’s landslide victory. “I am calling on every other candidate — all of whom have no chance to win — to drop out so we can unify and immediately rally behind President Trump so that we can focus 100% of our resources on defeating Joe Biden to Save America,” Stefanik wrote in a statement.

Stefanik was the first member in the GOP leadership to endorse trump in the run-up to the Iowa caucuses.