Global Courant
Former President Donald Trump filled the house at his rally in South Carolina on Saturday, drawing huge crowds significantly larger than the population of the city hosting it.
The leading Republican presidential nominee stormed into Pickens, a city of about 3,400, on Saturday and spoke to more than 50,000 people who gathered at the downtown location and along surrounding streets, according to Pickens Police Chief Randal Beach.
Beach told the Associated Press on Sunday that authorities were unable to calculate the exact number, but he estimated the rally was attended by “somewhere between 50 and 55,000” people.
South Carolina’s first presidential primaries make it popular among GOP hopefuls, many of whom have already held events in the state. However, none of the other candidates in the race drew an audience like Trump, who continues to dominate the 2024 polls.
TRUMP LEAD GROWS ON FOLLOWING, ONE FACTOR REMAINS WITH VOTERS BY BIDEN’S SIDE: POLL
Former President Donald Trump held a massive rally in Pickens, South Carolina on July 1, marking his first major event of the 2024 campaign since a performance in Texas in March. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
The former president’s campaign told Fox News Digital that no other candidate can match Pickens’ enthusiasm because no one else has “performed for the American people” the way Trump has.
“The Supreme Court decisions that ended racist college admissions, protected freedom of religion and stopped an illegal student loan forgiveness regime were a reminder of how President Trump kept his promises to voters,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. “Mind you, the tens of thousands of patriots who got to Pickens, South Carolina did it on a day with temperatures in excess of 90 degrees. The Trump train has left the station and won’t stop until President Trump sits at the Resolute Desk.”
Saturday’s event marked a return to the large-scale rallies of his previous presidential campaigns, and his performance effectively closed Pickens’ quintessential Southern downtown.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else to kick off the 4th of July weekend but here on Main Street with thousands of hard-working South Carolina patriots who believe in God, family and country,” Trump said Saturday.
Pickens police chief Randal Beach estimated that at least 50,000 people showed up to support the former president in the small town of nearly 3,400. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
While many other GOP hopefuls have already held 2024 campaign events in South Carolina, none drew a Trump-sized crowd on July 1, including former Governor Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott. (LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)
The tens of thousands who attended Saturday’s rally, for which attendees lined up the night before, seemed to agree with the president’s sentiments.
Greg Pressley and his wife, Robin, said they drove more than three hours from their Tennessee home to see Trump, a candidate they’ve supported since his first bid for the White House in 2016.
“Donald Trump is the greatest president in history,” said Greg. “I like his policies. I like the man. I’m here to support him in getting back to where he needs to be, to begin with.”
TRUMP SAYS HE IS ‘PROUD TO BE THE MOST PRO-LIFE PRESIDENT’ IN US HISTORY ON ROE V WADE OVERTURN’S BIRTHDAY
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have all held events in the state. The two South Carolinians in the race, former governor Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott, have also campaigned there.
Shelley Fox of Spartanburg, who also said she’s supported Trump since 2016, said she didn’t think it was necessary to even think about other candidates for next year’s election.
“I would write him,” she said when asked if she would consider another hopeful. “No doubt – I would write to him.”
Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also spoke at the event.
The town of Pickens was overrun with supporters of the former president as tens of thousands attended the rally and lined the streets nearby to hear him speak. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
The massive display at Trump’s South Carolina rally reflects his solid lead in the GOP presidential primaries. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
In 2016, Trump handily won the state in a crowded Republican primary, receiving 32.5% of the vote and earning the state’s 50 delegates. Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz placed second and third respectively, both receiving about 22%.
The huge event shows that Trump remains firmly in the driver’s seat of the Republican Party and that his supporters stand steadfastly by his side during his third bid for the White House.
Unlike his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, which drew thousands to rallies in states across the country, Trump’s effort in 2024 was noticeably different.
HOUSE GOP WANTS TO REMOVE ‘SHAM’ TRUMP ACCUSES
Saturday’s appearance in Pickens, South Carolina, was Trump’s first campaign event in the state with an early vote since January. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
This was only Trump’s second major rally in the 2024 campaign — the first took place in Waco, Texas, in March. Another planned outdoor rally in Iowa in May was canceled due to tornado warnings.
The former president has focused his efforts on smaller events, including a series of speeches to state party organizations, frequent interviews with the media and town halls, working relationships with delegates and local officials, and unannounced stops at restaurants in cities he visits. .
Trump has also appeared at many of the primary season’s multi-candidate events to date, including last week’s Moms for Liberty rally in Philadelphia.
According to The Associated Press, supporters began lining up for the event Friday night in hopes of securing a front row seat at Trump’s first major rally since March. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Saturday’s massive display comes as Trump faces hush money charges in New York, federal charges related to keeping secret documents after leaving the White House and several other investigations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
