Donald Trump, the former president, has planned a large Independence Day celebration for South Carolina.
The former president will speak in Pickens, South Carolina, the most pro-Trump region in the state. Trump won both presidential elections in South Carolina, but his margin of victory was greatest in Pickens County.
The rally will be held in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a departure from the former president’s usual stadium rallies. Given that Pickens County is adjacent to North Carolina and is less than an hour’s journey from Northeast Georgia, it may attract supporters from multiple states.
45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump to Celebrate Independence Day in Pickens, South Carolinahttps://t.co/PT8O9x2PYV pic.twitter.com/6SMKiOMeh3
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) June 15, 2023
On Independence Day, the former president will attempt to capitalize on what can only be described as the enthusiasm following his indictment. In addition to generating significant funds, a CBS News poll conducted after the indictment revealed that Trump had the largest victory margin over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Trump leads his closest competitor by 38 points among likely Republican primary voters and receives 61 percent of the vote.
Trump has promised to throw a large Fourth of July party to mark the country’s 250th birthday if re-elected. “Three years from now, the United States will celebrate the biggest and most important milestone in our country’s history,” Trump said. “Two hundred and fifty years of American independence. What a great country. And we have to keep it that way.”
There are plans to establish a White House task team called “Salute to America 250.”
“On day one, I will convene a White House task force called Salute to America 250,” said Trump. “It will be responsible for coordinating with state and local governments to ensure not just one day of celebration, but an entire year of festivities across the nation, starting on Memorial Day 2025 and continuing through July 4th, 2026.”
In addition to honoring a brand-new national monument, the festivities will feature a “Great American State Fair.”
The local South Carolina newspaper Post and Courier reported:
The July 1 event, first announced by the city of Pickens, will be Trump’s second visit to South Carolina since launching his 2024 White House bid.
The campaign stop will put the former president in the friendliest political territory he can find in South Carolina, in the northwest corner of the Upstate.
While Trump won South Carolina in both 2016 and 2020, his margin of victory was the greatest in Pickens County.
In 2016, Trump clobbered Democrat Hillary Clinton there by 53 points. In 2020, voters in Pickens County again overwhelmingly picked Trump, where returns show he trounced Democrat Joe Biden by 51 points.
The campaign backdrop — a small, city-sanctioned July Fourth celebration along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains — will be a departure from Trump’s large, stadium-style rallies. But due to its geographic location, the event could easily pull supporters from neighboring Southern states.