Fists fly in S.C. as Trump tries to rally unenthusiastic voters behind Darline Graham

PENDLETON, S.C. — Sparks, and even a few punches, flew at President Donald Trump’s rally in South Carolina Wednesday night, as he tried to mobilize voters behind Sen. Darline Graham in the Palmetto State’s unexpectedly competitive Senate race.

The effort was an uphill battle from the start, and it didn’t get easier. Trump arrived in Pendleton to a crowd of supporters excited about his presence but unenthused about Graham’s candidacy, with voters still unsure who the novice senator is and what she stands for.

Almost immediately, the protests started.

Roughly five minutes into Trump’s speech, security escorted at least four protesters out of the event, with that number rising to at least 11 by the end of the 93-minute remarks. About 20 minutes into the speech, an attendee appeared to punch a protester on the floor directly right in front of Trump. As those involved were escorted out, Trump remarked on the altercation.

“Wow, thank you, that was great, man,” Trump said. “I love — I watched that. Man. You know I watched that, I saw that. That was incredible. Wow. That was unbelievable. Is everybody okay?”

Protesters have become a regular presence at Trump rallies, particularly of late, with some confrontations turning violent. But Wednesday night brought an unusually high number of disruptions.

Law enforcement officers ran around the Clemson University livestock facility removing protesters in what resembled a game of whack-a-mole. At one point, an officer had to abandon her pack at a press table to run and de-escalate another outburst.

Trump repeatedly claimed they were “paid protesters,” saying, “They’re a bunch of fakers. They’re terrible people.”

But the protesters were the least of his problems.

As Trump tried to circle the wagons around Graham — who is in a tight race against Democrat Annie Andrews — he was met with Republicans who said they were unenthusiastic about her candidacy.

Mark Sanford, a 63-year-old landscaper from Spartanburg, told MS NOW he voted for Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., in the primary and is now backing Graham — but he’s not thrilled about it. Sanford said he would have preferred Graham leave the Senate after completing her appointment to serve out the remainder of her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s, term.

“We just don’t know nothing about her,” Sanford said. “And she was put in a spot and we thought she was just gonna hold the position. So then we worried about, does she know what she’s getting into?

He said his main hesitation was Graham “just being fresh and her not really knowing what’s going on.”

Willene Allen, a 73-year-old retiree from Taylors, S.C., told MS NOW she was voting for Graham, but wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about her candidacy

“She’s fine,” Allen said of Graham. “Trump supports her. I support her.”

While some voters were adjusting to Graham, others at the rally were still unsure whether they were going to vote for her.

Rachel, a 45-year-old stay-at-home mom from Walhalla told MS NOW she hasn’t decided who to vote for yet. She said she was concerned about Graham assuming the role because she was “a little hesitant about family members taking over,” adding, “we’re not a royalty.”

Rachel also said she did not know much about Graham. “I don’t know anything about her, so that’s a concern,” she told MS NOW. “I’m interested to see where she stands.”

If voters are still trying to learn just who Graham is, they are running out of time.

The gaffe in the room

Trump’s rally in Pendleton was held with less than two weeks to go until Election Day, with control of the Senate for the final two years of his presidency hanging in the balance.

Republicans had not expected South Carolina’s Senate race to be competitive until Lindsey Graham unexpectedly died in July, upending the race. Trump first encouraged Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint Darline Graham to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term. He then urged her to run for a full six-year term and endorsed her after she entered the race.

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Despite that backing, her candidacy took a hit during the primary debate in August, when Graham — who had never held elected office before her appointment — conceded during a GOP Senate primary runoff debate that she wasn’t “that informed on national security.” The remark drew criticism and sparked worries among Republicans about her electability.

The gaffe was the elephant in the room on Wednesday.

After the debate, as Graham fielded questions about her qualifications, she frequently cited the passage of a bill to impose sanctions on Russia and Iran, an effort she inherited from her brother. Trump signed the legislation into law, which Graham cited as a significant achievement — and proof that she could get things done in Washington.

But earlier this week, Trump signed an executive order exempting Russia from the sanctions, undercutting what Graham had touted as her signature achievement. During another campaign stop, Graham made it clear that she disagreed with Trump’s move. But when Trump landed in Washington after the rally, he told reporters Graham thought he “did the right thing.”

Despite the legislation being a key talking point for Graham, she didn’t mention it during Wednesday’s rally. The only reference came from Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who said Graham has “been in the Senate for about 30 seconds and she’s already passed a bill signed into law by President Trump.” He didn’t say what the bill did.

Russia did, however, come up during the rally.

At one point, Trump talked about the release of Stephen Hubbard from detention in Russia. He recalled calling Russian President Vladimir Putin and asking for Hubbard to be released, to which Putin responded: “Yup, you can have him.”

It was a notable mention. While Trump initially said he didn’t give Russia anything in exchange for Hubbard’s release, the timing of the sanctions rollback has drawn scrutiny.

Familiar attacks

Beyond his commentary on the protesters and discussion of Hubbard, Trump’s speech was mainly filled with familiar themes for his conservative base. He railed against gender-affirming care for minors, griped that he wasn’t awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and criticized the media sitting toward the back of the room.

He also attacked Andrews, Graham’s opponent, once again invoking an anti-transgender slur as he referred to her as “Trannie Annie Andrews.”

He invoked another familiar line, but on Wednesday night, it took on outsized meaning.

Trump returned to his frequent message of encouraging supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot. In South Carolina, it rings particularly true: Trump pushed Graham for the short-term appointment, encouraged her to run for a full-six year term, endorsed her candidacy and has rallied twice to try to push her over the finish line.

In a cycle where Trump’s star power is in question, Graham’s success — or lack thereof — will be a test of the president’s ability to mobilize Republican voters.

“In this election I’m asking you to pretend I’m on the ballot,” he told the rallygoers.

“For the sake of our country, just pretend because you have to get out and vote,” Trump continued. “When I’m on the ballot, you go vote. When I’m not, you tend not to. But I really am on the ballot because we did so many things.”

Nora McKee

Nora McKee is an associate field producer for MS NOW. She is based in Washington, D.C.