Former President, and current leader in the Republican primary, Donald J. Trump, plans to make another trip to Columbia, S.C.
Trump, alongside Republican leaders, officials, and activists, will celebrate the South Carolina Republican Party’s 56th annual Silver Elephant Gala as a keynote speaker on Aug. 5. Trump plans to begin his remarks at 8:30 p.m.
The event will be held at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. Trump will be joined by Governor Henry McMaster, Senator Lindsey Graham, SCGOP Chairman and RNC Co-Chairman Drew McKissick, alongside other officials.
Trump last visited the Palmetto state when he spoke in the City of Pickens in early July.
There, he was on the campaign trail, and his rally attracted between 50,000 and 55,000 people, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Then, he discussed his federal charges surrounding his alleged mishandling of classified documents. He also attacked President Joe Biden, whose family has also been the topic of legal discussion predominantly surrounding Hunter Biden and the several allegations levied against him.
Trump’s return to South Carolina comes at a point where his campaign is still in good standing among Republican voters.
The most recent data from FiveThirtyEight indicates that Trump leads the Republican primary polls at 50.8% to Ron DeSantis’ 21.4%.
However, Trump is also facing new legal trouble. The former president revealed that he is the target of an additional DOJ investigation revolving around his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump announced the new investigation on his social media website, Truth Social, claiming that the DOJ prosecutor is “deranged.”
“Deranged Jack Smith, the prosecutor with Joe Biden’s DOJ, sent a letter (again, it was Sunday night!) stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment,” he wrote.
It was the second time Smith notified Trump that he was the target of an investigation. The notice of investigation from Smith led Trump to claim the DOJ partakes in “election interference” when he was speaking during a Fox News town hall in Iowa.
DeSantis recently visited South Carolina and was the first to file, officially putting his name on the ballot for the Feb. 2024 GOP primary in South Carolina. During DeSantis’ trip to West Columbia, he revealed his “Mission First” plan that, if implemented, claims would lead to more active military recruitment and less “woke” ideology.
Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign, despite legal trouble, is in a position of strength as he makes another return to the state he won by nearly 12 percentage points in the 2020 election.
In a crowded field that includes South Carolinians in Nikki Haley and Tim Scott, each visit to the state for any GOP candidate matters, even when the primary is months away.
Source : ABC News
