Trump looks to upstage Haley at alma mater

Republican front-runner attends Clemson match

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Donald Trump used college football rivalry weekend to bask among his supporters in a state and region that are key to his presidential fortunes, while trying to upstage his Republican opponent Nikki Haley on her home turf at the Clemson-south Carolina football game.

The former president and current front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination arrived at Williams-brice Stadium in Columbia on Saturday night to chants of “We want Trump! We want Trump!” from fans gathered for the annual Palmetto Bowl, the state’s biggest sporting event of the year.

Haley, a Clemson alumna and trustee who was twice elected South Carolina governor, did not attend.

Trump was a guest of Gov. Henry Mcmaster, Haley’s successor. The entourage, which entered through a veritable tunnel of Trump supporters on its way to a private suite, also included South Carolina’s senior U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, giving the former president a show of local political force at a game featuring Haley’s alma mater, Clemson, where she is also a member of the board of trustees.

Mcmaster ascended to the governor’s office in 2017 when Trump elevated Haley to United Nations ambassador. Graham and Haley have mostly been allies over the years. But both men now back Trump, and the former president enjoys a wide polling lead among Republican primary voters. That includes nationally and in early nominating states like South Carolina.

Hours before kickoff, Trump’s campaign announced that he had been endorsed by “more South Carolina legislators than all opposing candidates combined,” including new backing from six state lawmakers who had previously supported U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, before the South Carolinian ended his presidential bid earlier this month.

Columbia was primed for Trump’s visit. Around the stadium Saturday afternoon, more than a half-dozen electronic billboards around the capital city of Columbia boasted a message noting Trump’s 2020 election loss and his pending legal cases: “You lost. You’re guilty. Welcome to Columbia, Donald.”

Some vendors around the venue, meanwhile, hawked Trump-related merchandise, including “Trump 2020” flags, from the previous election cycle. And some fans entering the stadium before Trump’s arrival chanted “Let’s Go Brandon!” — a derogatory reference to President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020.

“We do it big time in the South,” said Brandon Beach, a Georgia state senator and top Trump supporter, explaining why Trump would choose to come to the Palmetto Bowl. “President Trump knows he can connect with people, and they are going to connect with him.”

Asked about the coming primary matchup with Trump, Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-cubas called her “the only candidate with momentum” and referenced Haley’s previous come-from-behind victories.

Chris Carlson The Associated Press Former President Donald Trump arrives before an NCAA college football game between South Carolina and Clemson on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.