Former President Donald Trump is gearing up for the first signature arena rally of his 2024 presidential campaign in South Carolina.
Leading up to the event, he has gathered a less-than-stellar response from former party supporters in the state.
Trump’s campaign has been forced to handle their new reality – that the former president may have some fierce competition for the Republican nomination.
Trump is expected to be joined on stage by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) for the event. Other state GOP officials have decided to attend other events, withholding their endorsements of the former President.
Instead, state officials have privately been paving the way for endorsements of Sen. Tim Scott (R-North Carolina) and former Republican Gov. Nikki Haley.
“Nikki Haley is probably our first South Carolinian since we voted for George Washington that has really had a chance of being president of the United States,” former South Carolina GOP chair Katon Dawson told The Washington Post. “And I think the Trump folks are going to run into that history.”
A list of Republicans will not be in attendance with Trump. That list includes prominent names like State party chairman Drew McKissick and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina). Their absence is despite Graham’s repeated attempts to get more people to join him in endorsing Trump.
Still, the Trump campaign remains steadfast in its attempts to gain support throughout the state.
“President Trump is going to South Carolina to unveil his leadership team, which will show the significant support he has throughout the state, from grass-roots leaders to elected officials,” Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said of the event.
