Former President Donald Trump attended a major college football game in South Carolina, an early voting state home to Republican rival Nikki Haley, over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Accompanied by Palmetto State allies, including Haley’s successor as South Carolina governor, Henry McMaster, Trump witnessed the Clemson Tigers’ showdown against the University of South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday at their Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.
The Post and Courier, a South Carolina newspaper, reported that Trump shook his fist and handed out boxes of popcorn to fans as he headed to a luxury box to watch the game. At halftime, he and McMaster entered the field. and greeted a loud choir of cheers and some boos.
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Haley, a Clemson student and trustee, did not attend the game. But his Tigers emerged victorious with a 16-7 victory that once again earned them the Palmetto Bowl trophy.
South Carolina Republican Primary Election Set to Take Place on February 24following the Republican Party caucuses in Iowa, the primaries in New Hampshire and the caucuses in Nevada and the Virgin Islands.
Overall, Trump has dominated national and state Republican polls, although Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations during his first term, has gained momentum in recent weeks.
In South Carolina, the RealClearPolitics polling average spanning mid-September to mid-November sample Trump with 49.3% support and Haley with 18.8% support. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in third place with 10.5%.
Trump won the first Southern primary in South Carolina in 2016, a victory that helped promote It led him to the Republican Party nomination and resulted in former Florida Governor Jeb Bush dropping out of the race. During the 2020 and 2024 general elections, Trump handily defeated Hillary Clinton and then-now President Joe Biden in the state.
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In the 2024 cycle, national Democrats are hedging their bets on South Carolina by selecting it as the first presidential nominating state on their calendar as part of a push to bring greater diversity to the top of the early voting process.
The shakeup caused a scheduling clash with states that traditionally led the calendar, resulting in New Hampshire defying the Democratic National Committee by scheduling its Democratic primary for Jan. 23 ahead of the South Carolina Democratic primary scheduled for the February 3rd.
