Former President Donald Trump was greeted by an enormous crowd at a South Carolina rally on Saturday, with two weeks to go before the state’s Republican primary.
Trump has geared his campaign focus to the southern state days after an easy victory in Nevada and revved up support at a rally in Conway, near Myrtle Beach.
Trump addressed a vast overflow crowd outside the venue as he looks to close out Haley’s chances and turn his focus entirely on an expected rematch with incumbent President Joe Biden.
The absolute SCENES coming out of South Carolina
This is Trump addressing the OVERFLOW crowd today outside the actual event itself
Bigger than 2016…never seen anything like it pic.twitter.com/Zw5SjGJSYU
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 10, 2024
An estimated 3,000 people packed the arena to hear the former president, who is highly favored to win the South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary on February 24 over former Palmetto State governor Nikki Haley.
It was an energetic atmosphere on the street, in line, and in the arena. Many wore their allegiance to Trump on their hats, shirts, and campaign buttons, some newly purchased from vendors along Highway 544 outside the campus. They waited hours to enter and gave a standing ovation when Trump took the stage to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”
Trump won the Nevada Caucuses on Thursday, Haley was beaten by “none of these candidates” in the Nevada Primary on Tuesday, and President Joe Biden, Trump’s likely opponent in November, was known as an elderly man with a poor memory by the special counsel investigating secret document claims.
With Trump having a commanding lead over Haley, that didn’t stop him from urging his supporters to show out in full force on February 24.
“We want to send a signal for November. Fourteen days from now, each and every one of you is going to get out and vote and deliver a gigantic win in South Carolina, and in November, we’re going to win the White House, and we’re going to take back our country,” Trump said in his speech.
As of Saturday, Trump holds nearly a 32-point lead over Haley among likely GOP primary voters. He walked on stage to signs that read “Welcome Home President Trump” and “SC Trump Country.”
“This state has been so incredible. We love this state, with thousands of hardworking, God-fearing American patriots,” Trump said.
Trump focused a large portion of his time railing against President Joe Biden’s health, a porous border, raging wars in Israel and Ukraine, and rising inflation.
“What crooked Joe is doing to our border is a crime against this nation, but we’re not going to allow these horrible offenses to take place. He’s going to be tried by the ballot box in November,” Trump said.
