Trump returns to campaign rallies, bringing thousands to small South Carolina city ahead of July 4

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July 02, 2023 09:08 am | Updated 10:21 am IST – PICKENS, SC

Former PresidentDonaldTrumps speaks at a rally, Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Pickens, SC | Photo Credit: AP

Former US President Donald Trump on Saturday marked a return to the large-scale rallies of his previous presidential campaigns, speaking to thousands who gathered in the streets of a small South Carolina city on a scorching day before the 4th of July holiday.

There is no other place I would rather start the Fourth of July weekend than right here on Main St., with thousands of hard-working South Carolina patriots who believe in God, family and country, said by Trump to the roaring crowd standing on the asphalt as the temperature climbed into the 90s.

It was not immediately clear how many people gathered on the streets of downtown Pickens, a small city in South Carolina’s conservative Upstate of about 3,400 residents. Law enforcement officials told several media outlets that about 15,000 people had gathered by 11 a.m., two hours before Trump’s remarks.

The heavily Republican area is a popular one for GOP hopefuls as they aim to attract support for South Carolina’s first-in-the-South presidential primary. In recent months, other candidates including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have all held events in the Upstate, as have two South Carolinians in the race: former Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott.

But no one drew as many people as Trump, whose appearance effectively shut down Pickens’ quintessential southern downtown.

In contrast to his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, which drew thousands to rallies in states across the country, Trump’s 2024 effort is markedly different. Earlier this year, instead of speaking to voters in a gymnasium or airplane hangar, Trump held his first campaign event in South Carolina inside the Statehouse in Columbia, launching his team led by state at an invitation-only gathering in an ornate lobby between the House and Senate. rooms.

In other states, the former president focused his efforts on smaller events, including a series of speeches before state party organizations, as he worked to strengthen his standing among delegates and local official

It was only Trump’s second major rally of the 2024 campaign. In March, he rallied in Waco, Texas, lambasting prosecutors then investigating him on hush-hush charges against him and predicting his vindication. A planned outdoor rally in Iowa in May was canceled due to tornado warnings.

The rallies are also expensive to put on, although Trump continues to bring in millions in fundraising, after both the New York indictment and federal charges related to his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House. Last month, senior Trump aide Chris LaCivita told the conservative Ruthless podcast that the rallies were half a million dollars a pop.

Trump’s campaign has also leaned on unannounced stops at restaurants such as a famous Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant Friday or Versailles, a popular Cuban eatery in Miami in an effort to show his strong appeal to supporters in despite many legal challenges.

With the GOP’s broad field continuing to grow, Trump’s campaign pointed to polls showing him with a large lead over his rivals, despite a campaign schedule that is less robust than many of his rivals. She has also given frequent media interviews and appeared at many of the multi-candidate events of the primary season so far, including this past week’s Moms for Liberty gathering in Philadelphia.

Still, the chance to see the former president in person drew thousands from across the Southeast for Saturday’s rally, where attendees began lining up the night before, and coming from as far away as Florida. Greg Pressley and his wife, Robin, said they drove more than three hours from their home in east Tennessee to see the candidate they’ve supported since his first run in 2016.

Donald Trump is the best President in history, says Greg Pressley. I like his rules. i love the man I’m here to support him to get back to where he should be, in the beginning.

Shelley Fox of Spartanburg, who said she has supported Trump since he entered the race in 2016, said she didn’t feel the need to think about any other candidates for next year’s election.

I will write to him, he said, when asked what he would do if forced to consider another dependent. There is no question that I will write him.

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