Trump Rallies South Carolina for Darline Graham

President Donald Trump took his midterm blitz to South Carolina on Wednesday, packing Clemson University’s T. Ed Garrison Arena in Pendleton to rally Republicans behind U.S. Sen. Darline Graham’s campaign.
With less than two weeks until the November 3 midterm elections, Trump delivered a roughly 90-minute speech urging voters to show up and vote — and dismissing the pollsters who say the race is tightening.

Thousands Pack the T. Ed Garrison Arena

The rally drew thousands of supporters to the Upstate arena, only a few miles from Graham’s hometown of Central — where she and her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, grew up in the back room of a restaurant and pool hall owned by their parents.
Graham thanked the president for his encouragement and endorsement, which helped her jump into the race for the next term. “Thank you so much for coming to South Carolina. I am so honored to have your endorsement,” she said. “You are one of Lindsey’s dearest friends. You will always be part of the Graham family.”
On stage, Graham framed her campaign around the values she says she shares with Upstate families. “This area, and most importantly, its values are ingrained in me: God, family, country,” she said. “Those are our values, and I want to take them to a place that’s desperately needed: the United States Senate.”

Brushing Off the Polls

The rally came a day after the nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the South Carolina Senate race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican” — a move Trump openly mocked.
Jokingly asking if he was in the right state — “Are you sure this is South Carolina?” — Trump told the crowd, “I’m not a believer in the pollsters. I really am not.”
“Nov. 3 is the only pollster that counts,” he said, adding a direct pitch to rallygoers: “You have to go out and vote for Darline Graham. She’s you. She’s solid.”
He reminded the audience that the county hosting the rally went for him by 47 percentage points two years ago — and urged them to turn out just as strongly for the Senate race.

A Night of Heavy Hitters

The Graham rally featured a deep bench of Republican speakers. South Carolina’s now-senior U.S. senator, Tim Scott, took the stage, as did U.S. Rep. Sheri Biggs, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Gov. Henry McMaster — the governor who appointed Graham to fulfill her brother’s fourth term.
McMaster called Graham “one of us,” while Biggs urged Republicans to rally together, likening the party to “a big family” that doesn’t always agree but stands united at the ballot box. “When it’s time to vote, we need to stand together, and we need to send Republicans back to Washington to finish the job that President Trump started,” she said.
Adding star power, Trump invited championship boxer Evander Holyfield and professional golfer Jacob Bridgeman, a Clemson graduate, on stage.

The $5,000 Pledge

Trump also reiterated his pledge to send every adult U.S. citizen a $5,000 payment — but noted it can only happen if Republicans win control of Congress. Congress would have to approve the plan, he said, and the money would come through tariff revenue.
As he has at rallies across the country, Trump asked South Carolinians to treat the midterms as a referendum on his presidency — and to act like he himself is on the ballot.

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