Donald Trump gets booed at South Carolina Republican rally
The mention of President Donald Trump’s name drew a surprising reaction at a Republican rally in South Carolina, with some members of the crowd breaking into boos.
Rep. Ralph Norman had referenced the president during his speech after losing to Darline Graham, prompting some disgruntled Republicans to boo Trump.
The reaction comes after Trump had endorsed Graham in the primary and previously urged her to run for a full term following the death of her brother and his friend, Lindsey Graham.
Trump’s push for Graham to emerge as the Republican candidate for the South Carolina Senate seat ended in victory for her, but it also appeared to leave many Republicans deeply disgruntled with the president.
When Graham’s opponent, Norman, name-dropped the president during a recent Republican rally, some attendees, who may have also been Trump die-hards, booed the president’s name.
“The president got involved. He has that right. That’s his prerogative,” Norman said in his speech, which was followed by the jeers.
Norman then added, “Y’all, his policies are good. I never understood why he got in this race.”
Trump’s public support for Graham began when he encouraged her to run for a full term in the U.S. Senate following the death of her brother.
At the time, he declared in a post that she had his “complete and total endorsement.” He later followed that public endorsement with a visit to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center ahead of the special runoff, where he once again urged the crowd to support her.
While it initially appeared that Trump’s support was largely a favor to his late friend Lindsey, a recent post on his Truth Social platform seemed to suggest there may have been more to it.
“Ralph Norman had the look of a good Congressman (Not great, but good), but ruined his career when he endorsed Nikki Haley,” Trump wrote on the app after Norman’s loss.
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In the comment section, some fans who have followed Trump’s feud with Lindsey supported Trump’s remark.
“Nikki Haley is a forever NO! Anyone supporting her is a HARD NO,” one wrote.
“So sad you didn’t go with Ralph Norman in this race. Still love ya, President Trump,” another MAGA fan commented.
Still, some fans were very critical of Trump’s support for Graham, whose recent gaffe about national security issues went viral.
“And why do you think Graham is going to be a good congresswoman? She could not answer questions, and admitted she has no knowledge of things,” one wrote.
Trump’s candidate, Graham, had earlier faced intense backlash over comments she made during a South Carolina debate ahead of the special runoff.
She was asked about her views on Taiwan and the South China Sea dispute, but she appeared unable to provide a direct answer.
“I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not on national security. I’m not that informed on national security,” she said at the time.
“I’m not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing. Not my area of expertise, but I do support the military,” she added.
Shortly after the incident, Trump once again threw his weight behind Graham when reporters asked him to respond to her stance in the debate.
“All she was, was being honest,” the president said. “I watched that. I thought it was a very honest answer, actually.”
He also pointed to Graham’s support for the military as proof that she means well for the country.
Meanwhile, the South Carolina Senate candidate later appeared to suggest in a separate interview that what matters most to the people of South Carolina is not national security issues, but rather gas prices, affordability, and the cost of healthcare.
