Trump attacked Biden and Federal Law Enforcement at the Fourth of July Event

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Former President Donald J. Trump rallied thousands on Saturday at a quiet Independence Day event in South Carolina towns, where he attacked the integrity of key American institutions and painted a dark picture of the country. before a holiday meant to celebrate its roots.

Speaking for nearly 90 minutes on Main Street in Pickens, SC, with at least 20 American flags behind him, Mr. Trump often avoided the flag-waving rhetoric and calls for unity that have long been central to the Day. of Freedom as hot dogs, baseballs and fireworks.

Instead, the twice-impeached and twice-indicted former president railed against Democrats and liberals, who he said threatened to rewrite America’s past and erase its future. He skewered federal law enforcement, which he accused without evidence of widespread corruption. And he attacked President Biden, citing what he saw as flaws in his character and accusing him of accepting bribes from foreign countries.

We want to have respect for our country and the office of the presidency, Mr. Trump said. But we really have no interest in sick people.

The comments of Mr. Trump is more familiar. But the event underscored his pursuit of his most ardent supporters for his Republican rivals as they seek their party’s presidential nomination from far behind Mr. Trump in the polls.

Despite the extreme humidity and heat, thousands of people thronged the streets of Pickens, a town of about 3,000 in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, since dawn.

Pam Nichols, who describes herself as an insurgent, said she flew from Mundelein, Ill., to proudly support Mr. Trump personally. He last did so in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, he said, when mobs of supporters of Mr. Trump the Capitol building. He did not speak in detail about his actions that day.

I was told to lie down afterwards, said Ms. Nichols, adding that he had watched several speeches by Mr. Trump online since then. But I felt it was time to get out. I’m tired of laying low.

The event in Pickens was only the second full-scale rally by Mr. Trump since he began his campaign in November. While such rallies have been a hallmark of his past two campaigns, he now takes the stage more at events organized by other groups.

Bryan Owens, the director of marketing for Pickens, said a representative for the Trump campaign reached out two weeks ago to ask to come to town for its Independence Day celebration.

South Carolina, an early-nominee state, was a key victory for Mr. Trump in the 2016 primaries as he sought to unite the Republican Party behind him. In 2020, he swept the state, garnering massive support in this region, a conservative 10-county swath in the northwest corner known as the Upstate.

Mr. Owens said the towns’ decision was easy. Although he will not personally support Mr. Trump in 2024, he said, the opportunity to bring a former president to Pickens was too good to pass up.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime event for Pickens, Mr. continued. Owens, gesturing behind him to a crowd that packed the streets and stretched for several blocks. And people who are less familiar with small towns can get that experience.

Pickenss Independence Day celebrations began with a 5K race to raise money to repair water fountains on a local nature trail. American flags lined the streets, and signs encouraged visitors to shop local, even though Main Street businesses were closed due to Secret Service measures.

With parking limited near the rally site, residents charged up to $100 cash, many quickly clarified to let visitors leave cars in their driveways or on their lawns. For another $20, a golf cart can take you from your car to the rally entrance, outside the McDonalds at the end of Main Street.

Red, white and blue were the wardrobe colors of the day, from hats to boots. Tammy Milligan, of Myrtle Beach, SC, arrived wearing a Wonder Woman costume, which she said she started wearing around the time of Mr. Trump’s first impeachment. Trump in 2019.

Even though he was standing behind Mr. Trump wholeheartedly and calling him a patriot, he acknowledged that most of the country felt differently to what he framed as an American ideal.

Well, everyone’s entitled to think what they want to think, said Ms. Milligan. That is our country.

Mr. Trump is less generous. He pondered the federal indictment that accused him of illegally retaining national security documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. And though he denounced the prosecution as a serious and politically motivated move, he vowed, as always, that he would retaliate in kind if elected.

Outlining a dark vision of America, Mr. Trump called his political opponents sick people and degenerates who are running our country into the ground.

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