South Carolina, an early nominating state, was a key victory for Mr. Trump within the 2016 primaries as he sought to unite the Republican Get together behind him. In 2020, he received the state handily, drawing overwhelming help on this area, a conservative swath of 10 counties within the northwest nook often called the Upstate.
Mr. Owens mentioned that the city’s determination was simple. Although he personally wouldn’t help Mr. Trump in 2024, he mentioned, the chance to convey a former president to Pickens was too good to go up.
“This can be a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for Pickens,” Mr. Owens continued, gesturing behind him to a crowd that packed the streets and stretched for a number of blocks. “And people who aren’t that accustomed to small cities — they’ll get that have.”
Pickens’s Independence Day festivities started with a 5K race to lift cash to restore water fountains on an area nature path. American flags lined the streets, and indicators inspired guests to buy native, at the same time as companies on Fundamental Avenue had been closed due to Secret Service measures.
With parking close to the positioning of the rally restricted, residents had been charging as much as $100 — money, many had been fast to make clear — to let guests depart vehicles of their driveways or on their lawns. For one more $20, a golf cart would possibly shuttle you out of your automobile towards the rally’s entrance, exterior a McDonald’s on the finish of Fundamental Avenue.