Amost 75% of those voting in South Carolina's Pickens County backed then-President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, and it showed Saturday. As many as 50,000 supporters swarmed Main Street in Pickens, the county seat, on a hot and muggy day to hear the candidate speak at the town's Independence Day Spectacular, the Greenville News reports. "It was hardworking patriots like you who built this country, and it is hardworking patriots like you who are going to save our country," Trump told the gathering, accompanied by dramatic music, per Politico.
The crowd, which came from nearby counties and other states, as well, was almost more than Pickens could handle. Trump was added to the festival schedule only two weeks ago, once the city agreed to shutdowns in the area after lobbying by Republican officials and the Secret Service. Parking was an issue, with spots in lots and front yards going for as much as $60. One church declined to charge but did accept donations. With the temperature in the mid-90s, some attendees left early, and more than 50 people were taken to places where they could get water and be in air conditioning. "Besides the church, we were using our cars, stairwells at the courthouse and police department," Police Chief Randall Beach said.
The crowd was less welcoming to the state's senior senator, per Yahoo News. Although he was endorsing Trump for another term, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham had trouble being heard over the jeers and boos. Graham has not endorsed Trump's claim that he really won the 2020 presidential election. When Trump said, "You know, you can make mistakes on occasion. Even Lindsey down here," the booing started anew. It lasted more than six minutes, per the Greenville News. Graham grew up in Pickens County. "We love Sen. Graham," Trump assured the crowd. (More Donald Trump 2024 stories.)
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