Former President Donald Trump is planning the first campaign event of his 2024 bid to the White House in South Carolina, an early-voting state.
Steven Cheung, a campaign spokesperson, told the Associated Press Thursday that the former president will make a visit to South Carolina later in the month. There were no other details immediately available.
After announcing his new presidential run in November, the former president has limited his campaign appearances to Mar-a-Lago events at his Florida estate, either in a virtual setting or before an invited crowd.
Trump’s campaign criticized for keeping low profile
Trump’s campaign has faced criticism, even among his staunchest allies, for its low profile. The former president has remained popular in South Carolina after his 2016 primary win and throughout his term. However, heading into the 2024 presidential campaign, although he has high-level GOP South Caroline backers, it remains unclear how broad his support is across the state.
The former president’s visit to South Carolina comes after two of the top Republicans in the state consider a 2024 run of their own.
Former governor of South Carolina and U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, said she would be using the holiday season to decide whether to run for president or not, although she told the Associated Press in 2021 that she would not seek the presidency if Trump has already declared he is in the race.
United States Senator Tim Scott, who was recently reelected to the Senate in what he has said is his final term, has launched a political action committee that could become a vehicle for a presidential campaign and launched a political action committee.
Former President Donald Trump said he would hold an “intimate” campaign event later in the month in South Carolina as criticism mounts that his campaign’s 2024 White House bid has gotten off to a lackluster start since he announced in November.
Trump is known for his boisterous rallies that packed arenas with enthusiastic supporters during the 2016 and 2020 campaigns. However, his advisers need more time to host such events now.
In the state of South Carolina, the former president could be up against two Republican competitors from the state.
Although Trump may face stiff competition from Scott and Haley, political insiders believe Trump is in a favorable position in the Palmetto State, with one noting, “there’s no data that I’ve seen that suggests otherwise.”
To date, former President Trump is the only declared presidential candidate for 2024. Although he has stated he will be running for reelection in 2024, President Biden has not officially announced his campaign.
