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CLEMSON, S.C. — President Donald Trump gave a stump speech for Republican Darline Graham near Clemson University on Wednesday night to help the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham win her brother’s seat come November.
Trump’s visit to the deep red Upstate to support Graham, his pick for South Carolina’s next U.S. senator, comes as the race is unexpectedly close with Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee.
The speech drew a crowd of roughly 5,000 people to the T. Ed Garrison Arena Livestock Arena, as well as a protest and seven separate hecklers, most of whom yelled “f*ck you” and other complaints before being ejected by security.
One of the protesters who yelled out obscenities was quickly swarmed and taken down to the ground by multiple supporters — including one in particular who appeared to throw a punch — before security intervened. Trump praised his supporters for taking the disruptor down, calling it “incredible.”
“Who was the guy who threw that punch?” he said.
“He got whacked,” the president said about the protester, comparing his supporters to Evander Holyfield, the famed boxer who was in attendance.
Trump, seemingly unfazed by the interruptions, also joked they were “paid protesters.” The crowd was amped every time another one was removed, chanting “USA, USA.”
The rally’s proximity to the Clemson campus also drew protests, including from the Clemson College Democrats, who held signs reading “Vote for Annie” and “F*** Darline.”
Trump voiced support for Graham throughout his speech, at one point calling for voter turnout: “You have to go out and vote for Darline Graham. She’s a huge success story.”
Trump said Lindsay Graham told him he respected his sister “more than anyone else.”
The praise comes as recent polls have Andrews within the margin of error for a seat that Lindsay Graham won by 10 points in 2020. South Carolina has not elected a Democratic senator since 1998.
The roughly 90-minute speech also touched on everything from tariffs to border security to “fake news” to Iran. A large stand of Clemson students behind Trump frequently cheered for the president, while the overall crowd appeared supportive and enthused by his visit.
Clemson students not affiliated with the College Democrats expressed interest in the president’s visit to the university.
Ryan O’Connell, a freshman health-science major, said “I think it’s super cool for the student body to be able to begin to connect with national politics.”
Scarlet O’Shea, a freshman civil engineering major, called the visit “a rare occurrence.”
“It’s not every day that the president of the United States comes to your school,” she said.
However, Graham’s candidacy drew skepticism from some students in the crowd.
One member of the Clemson College Republicans who asked to remain anonymous said that “I don’t know how hard Darline Graham will fight for me. She may not have been my first choice, but I’m still voting for her. I’d rather have a ‘puppet’ that will vote for things that I support than a liberal like Annie Andrews, who I know will actively fight against what I believe in.”
Other speakers at the event included Darline Graham herself, Russell Fry of the U.S. House, Sheri Biggs, the U.S. representative for the district, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, and senior U.S. Senator Tim Scott.
Trump and the other speakers repeatedly exhorted South Carolinians to get out the vote.
“Listen to me. President Donald J. Trump needs a champion in the United States Senate, and her name ain’t Annie Andrews, but her name is Darline Graham,” Sen. Scott said. “She’s been hard at work for each and every one of you. She’s been in the Senate for about 30 seconds, and she’s already passed a bill signed into law by President Trump.”
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