Lindsey Graham to join Trump for South Carolina campaign team launch

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will join former President Trump later this month for the launch of his 2024 South Carolina campaign team, the first major event of the calendar year for the former president’s reelection campaign. 

Trump announced in a release on Tuesday that he will travel to Columbia, S.C., to reveal the leaders of his South Carolina staff. He will also be accompanied by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) and members of the state’s congressional delegation and legislature. 

He will make his announcement at the South Carolina State House on Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. 

Politico reported last week that three advisers to Trump said the announcement will come at an “intimate” event as he gradually develops his campaign. 

Graham has been one of Trump’s closest allies since the start of his presidency, only briefly criticizing him for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection before backing him again. 

South Carolina is one of the first states to vote in the Republican presidential primary, and a victory in the state could give a crucial boost to a candidate. Trump is the only major Republican candidate to have announced a presidential campaign so far, but numerous other Republicans have indicated they might run too, which could lead to a crowded GOP primary. 

Trump has mostly run a low-key campaign since announcing his run in November, forgoing so far the large rallies that he held during his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. The advisers told Politico that it is too early in the campaign season to hold the rallies and pushed back against some criticism that Trump’s campaign has been “low-energy.”