Ex-President Donald Trump, fresh off a series of victories in early presidential nominating contests, is set to make his first appearance in South Carolina this year. His message is clear: South Carolina is his to lose. Trump’s campaign and the former president himself are increasingly confident that he will secure enough delegates by mid-March to be declared the presumptive Republican nominee, outpacing former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, according to multiple Trump campaign advisers.
Trump’s visit to South Carolina follows a whirlwind of travel, including a victorious appearance in Nevada for the state’s GOP caucuses and a speech at a National Rifle Association forum in Pennsylvania. Thursday proved to be a particularly successful day for Trump’s campaign, with a special counsel report providing new ammunition against President Joe Biden and the Supreme Court seeming likely to dismiss a Colorado attempt to label Trump an insurrectionist.
Despite Haley’s determination to stay in the race, Trump and his team view the South Carolina primary as the final battleground to eliminate his major rival. This confidence is fueled by Trump’s consistent success in polls and a surge of support, leading to a less aggressive approach to the South Carolina primary compared to previous states.
Trump’s first visit to South Carolina in 77 days will be a rally in Conway, with more campaign events planned in the run-up to the February 24 primary. However, the focus is increasingly shifting towards the general election rematch with Biden.
The Trump campaign’s ground game in South Carolina has evolved significantly since his initial presidential run in 2016, with a team spread across all 46 counties of the state. The campaign has also deployed top state lawmakers and surrogates to challenge Haley in her home state.
Trump’s director of special projects in South Carolina, Justin Evans, stated that Haley represents a brand of Republicanism that Trump opposes. Trump is expected to strongly criticize Haley in his speech, arguing that her refusal to drop out of the race is detrimental to the Republican Party.
Trump’s campaign is eager to secure his position as the presumptive GOP nominee as soon as possible, aiming to leverage the full weight of the GOP infrastructure for a general election fight against Biden. Haley, however, remains undeterred by the pressure, insisting she has no plans to drop out of the race anytime soon.